11 UK trade entry points · 8 export priorities · 6 DEFONEOS MCPs · DBT / UKEF / TRA backbone
UK international trade is governed by the Trade Act 2021, the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979, the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) of December 2020, the Export Control Order 2008, the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018, the Trade Remedies Act 2021, and the 2025 Trade Strategy (DBT). The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) delivers export promotion, UK Export Finance (UKEF) provides £70bn+ sovereign trade credit insurance and guarantee capacity, the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) investigates unfair trade practices, HMRC Border Force manages customs declarations, the Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU) licences controlled goods (dual-use, military), and the 9 regional International Trade Advisors deliver on-the-ground support. The UK is the world's 4th-largest exporter of services and the 2025 target is £1 trillion in annual exports. DEFONEOS delivers the UK's first open-source Sovereign Public Services OS purpose-built for international trade — sovereign export provenance chains, BFT-governed dual-use licence decisions, customs automation, sanctions screening, and export market intelligence.
All entries are BFT-signed (Ed25519 / RFC 8032 / 2026-Q3 rotation) and curl-verifiable. Per-entry contacts sourced from DBT + UKEF + TRA + ECJU + HMRC Border Force (2026-Q1).
| # | Entry point | Location | Function | DEFONEOS fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E1 | Department for Business and Trade (DBT) | London / Global | UK trade promotion · export strategy · inward investment | DEFONEOS MCPs: data-gov-uk-mcp · companies-house-mcp — trade data + export company vetting |
| E2 | UK Export Finance (UKEF) | London | Export credit agency · £70bn+ capacity · guarantees + insurance | DEFONEOS MCPs: companies-house-mcp · sovereign-keystore — UKEF beneficiary + sovereign guarantee chain |
| E3 | Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) | Newcastle / Reading | Unfair trade investigation · anti-dumping · countervailing duties | DEFONEOS MCPs: data-gov-uk-mcp · bft-council-probe — trade injury evidence + BFT determination |
| E4 | Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU) | London | Dual-use + military export licensing · SPIRE licensing system | DEFONEOS MCPs: bft-council-probe · sovereign-keystore — licence provenance + BFT dual-use vetting |
| E5 | HMRC Border Force (Customs) | Nationwide ports | Customs declarations · CDS · GVMS · goods clearance | DEFONEOS MCPs: data-gov-uk-mcp · mqtt-bridge — customs data + port telemetry |
| E6 | Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) | London | Sanctions enforcement · asset freezes · financial penalties | DEFONEOS MCPs: bft-council-probe · sovereign-keystore — sanctions screening + BFT provenance |
| E7 | Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) | London | Energy exports · green finance · Net Zero trade | DEFONEOS MCPs: sentinel-hub-mcp · data-gov-uk-mcp — green export data + EO verification |
| E8 | FCDO Trade Policy Unit | London | FTAs · WTO · trade policy negotiations | DEFONEOS MCPs: gdelt-news-mcp · bft-council-probe — trade policy impact + BFT evidence |
| E9 | International Trade Advisors (9 Regions) | Regional | On-ground export support · SME guidance · market access | DEFONEOS MCPs: companies-house-mcp · data-gov-uk-mcp — SME export readiness + data |
| E10 | Crown Commercial Service (CCS) — International | London | International procurement · GCF cross-border · framework management | DEFONEOS MCPs: data-gov-uk-mcp · companies-house-mcp — supplier + framework data |
| E11 | Great British Campaign (GREAT) | London | UK brand · international marketing · sector promotion | DEFONEOS MCPs: gdelt-news-mcp · sentinel-hub-mcp — campaign reach + EO brand tracking |
| # | Priority | Owning body | DEFONEOS MCP coverage | Alignment cross-walk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | £1 trillion annual export target (2025 Trade Strategy) | DBT / HMT | data-gov-uk-mcp · companies-house-mcp | Trade Strategy · export promotion · SME support |
| P2 | Dual-use + military export control compliance | ECJU / MOD | bft-council-probe · sovereign-keystore | Export Control Order · SPIRE · BFT licence provenance |
| P3 | Sanctions screening & OFSI compliance | OFSI / HMT | bft-council-probe · sovereign-keystore | Sanctions Act · consolidated list · BFT provenance |
| P4 | UK-EU TCA customs & rules of origin | HMRC / Border Force | data-gov-uk-mcp · mqtt-bridge | TCA · CDS · GVMS · port automation |
| P5 | Free Trade Agreements (CPTPP · India · GCC) | FCDO / DBT | gdelt-news-mcp · bft-council-probe | FTA programme · tariff elimination · BFT impact |
| P6 | Green exports & Net Zero trade finance | DESNZ / UKEF | sentinel-hub-mcp · sovereign-keystore | UKEF green finance · renewable export guarantees |
| P7 | Defence export promotion (DEFSEC) | DBT Defence / DSO | bft-council-probe · sovereign-keystore | Defence & Security Organisation · export licences · BFT |
| P8 | SME export readiness & digital trade | DBT / CCS | companies-house-mcp · data-gov-uk-mcp | Export Support Service · digital trade tools |
| # | MCP server | Category | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | data-gov-uk-mcp | Trade Open Data Infrastructure | HMRC trade statistics · ONS export data · DBT sector data · TRA investigation records · customs tariff schedules |
| 2 | bft-council-probe | Export Licence & Sanctions Governance | 33-agent BFT chain for dual-use licence decisions · sanctions screening determinations · trade injury findings · anti-dumping evidence |
| 3 | sovereign-keystore | Export Provenance & Guarantee Chain | Ed25519-signed export licence chains · UKEF guarantee provenance · rules-of-origin attestation · customs declaration anchoring |
| 4 | companies-house-mcp | Exporter & Supplier Vetting | Exporter registration · beneficial ownership · ultimate consignee vetting · sanctions list cross-check · commercial readiness |
| 5 | gdelt-news-mcp | Trade Policy & Market Intelligence | Global trade news · FTA negotiation tracking · market access alerts · sector competitiveness analysis · competitor monitoring |
| 6 | sentinel-hub-mcp | Port & Supply Chain Verification | Copernicus port monitoring · vessel tracking · green export verification · supply chain EO surveillance for compliance |
The UK international trade digital backbone spans the HMRC Customs Declaration Service (CDS) for EU and rest-of-world declarations, the Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS) for border transit, the ECJU SPIRE export licensing system for controlled goods, the UKEF export credit guarantee platform, the DBT Export Support Service, the OFSI consolidated sanctions list, the TRA trade injury investigation system, the FCDO FTA negotiation tracker, the CCS international procurement frameworks, and the 9-region International Trade Advisor network. The 2025 Trade Strategy mandates full digital trade infrastructure with provenance, sanctions screening, and dual-use licence transparency. DEFONEOS integrates via BFT-governed export licence provenance, sovereign customs anchoring, sanctions screening chains, and trade market intelligence. All evidence is curl-verifiable at the protocol layer.
| Step | Action | Owner | Time | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buyer identifies export promotion / customs / sanctions / dual-use licensing requirement | Buyer | — | Requirement document |
| 2 | CSOAI sends DEFONEOS international trade pack + 30-day pilot pricing (T1 £2,840 / T2 £9,150 / T3 £28,400) | CSOAI | 1 hour | This page (curl-verifiable) |
| 3 | Buyer reviews BFT export provenance + sanctions screening + DBT/UKEF/ECJU alignment | Buyer | 2-4 hours | curl -s /health + trade pack |
| 4 | Submit export licence / FTA application / UKEF guarantee | Buyer | 1-2 hours | Export bid pack |
| 5 | CSOAI provisions trade-sovereign VM + DEFONEOS substrate + sanctions screening | CSOAI | <24 hours | AG-1: curl -s /health HTTP 200 |
⚠️ HARD RED-LINE: DEFONEOS handles OFFICIAL and OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE trade data ONLY. No sanctions evasion facilitation. No dual-use export proliferation to non-allied actors. No trade-based money laundering. No customs fraud or origin misrepresentation. No military-end-use targeting of individual exporters. AI supports export licence provenance, sanctions screening, customs automation, trade market intelligence, and UKEF guarantee integrity — never proliferation, evasion, or fraud. All trade evidence is BFT-governed with 23/33 quorum and independently verifiable. DEFONEOS strictly supports the UK Export Control Order, the Sanctions Act 2018, and OFSI compliance.
| Buyer type | Entry point | Procurement vehicle | Security requirement | Pilot tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DBT / UKEF | E1 / E2 | DBT framework · UKEF guarantee | OFFICIAL | T1/T2 |
| ECJU / Export Control | E4 | SPIRE licensing · direct framework | OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE | T2/T3 |
| HMRC / Border Force | E5 | HMRC framework · CDS integration | OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE | T2/T3 |
| OFSI / Sanctions | E6 | HMT framework · direct engagement | OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE | T3 |
| FCDO Trade Policy | E8 | FCDO framework · direct | OFFICIAL | T2 |
| Regional Trade Advisor | E9 | DBT regional · commercial | OFFICIAL | T1 |