UK retailers seek EU help for import quotas

A delegation from the UK 's largest retail groups will meet Peter Mandelson, the European Union trade commissioner, this week to voice fears that last summer's "Bra Wars" fiasco - in which millions of pounds worth of Chinese-manufactured clothing was stuck in UK ports because of the re-imposition of quotas - could be repeated. Executives from Tesco, Asda, Marks & Spencer and Kingfisher are expected to join the British Retail Consortium ( BRC ) at a meeting with the commissioner on Wednesday.

The BRC will also say that the procedure by which complaints are made to the EU by "protectionist" nations needs to be re-examined. Mandelson has already announced a review into this. "If we are getting more of these claims for protection then we want a solution that will be least damaging for our industry," said Kevin Hawkins, the BRC 's director-general. He added that a solution needs to be found that would suit both the EU and China . "Due to the size of the Chinese manufacturing sector and the competitive advantage that it has, we really have to step back from having a trade war with the Chinese," he said.