On 13 October, the UK Foreign Secretary, Ed Miliband, travelled to Warsaw for talks with Poland’s Foreign Minister, Radosław Sikorski. According to Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, both sides described the relationship as a strategic partnership, with shared interests in security, defence and the economy.

The talks also covered British industry’s role in modernising Poland’s armed forces, including the Narew air defence and Miecznik frigate programmes, and ammunition production through cooperation between BAE Systems and PGZ. The UK Government said the Northolt Treaty, signed in May, has deepened cooperation “across defence, security and economic resilience”.

Most of the headlines focused on security, which is understandable. But we work between both countries every day, and for us the more interesting question is what this means for ordinary trade.

What it means for Polish and British business

When governments sign treaties and talk about economic resilience, they are really talking about trust. They want supply chains they can rely on, built with partners who share their values and standards.

The projects agreed under the treaty already point in this direction: closer industrial ties, shared knowledge and technology, and more resilient supply chains. Defence is simply where it starts. The same logic applies to construction products, manufacturing, logistics and services.

For UK companies, Poland is a serious option. It has a large, skilled manufacturing base, competitive costs, and it is a short lorry or ferry journey away. For Polish companies, the UK is a substantial market where “made in Poland” is increasingly seen as a mark of quality rather than the cheap option. There is also a large Polish community in Britain, with many people who understand both ways of doing business.

In our experience, what usually gets in the way is not politics. It is the practical detail: finding the right partner, checking that partner properly, getting certification right, handling customs after Brexit, agreeing who manages delivery and after-sales, and knowing who to call when something goes wrong.

Where POLEXPO fits

That is the gap POLEXPO was set up to fill. We connect Polish producers with British buyers and distributors, and British companies with opportunities in Poland. We stay involved after the introduction, so the relationship actually works.

POLEXPO is a small team of two, and that is deliberate. You deal with us directly, in English or Polish, from the first conversation to the first delivery, with no layers of account managers in between.

Our first partnership is with Stalprodukt Zamość, a Polish manufacturer of entrance and garage doors, whose products are now available in the UK through Northgate Access. It is a clear example of what this partnership looks like in practice: a well-made Polish product, a British business that knows its customers, and a straightforward route from the factory to someone’s front drive.

It is not glamorous, and it does not need to be. This kind of everyday trade is what turns words like “strategic partnership” into orders, jobs and long-term relationships on both sides.

A partnership with deep roots

None of this is new. About ten miles north of Lincoln lies RAF Ingham, a wartime airfield that was home to Polish bomber squadrons. No. 300 (Masovian) Squadron arrived in 1942, followed by No. 305 (Ziemia Wielkopolska) Squadron in 1943. Their crews flew Wellingtons with Bomber Command on bombing and mine-laying operations, far from home and fighting for a country that was not yet free.

Today, Polish and British volunteers run the site as the Centre of Polish Bomber Squadrons. In 2023 the Centre received the King’s Award for Voluntary Service, and its memorial carries the motto “For Your Freedom and Ours”.

Those words still matter. More than eighty years ago, Poles and Britons trusted each other with their lives. That trust is the foundation of everything our two countries are building today, in security, in trade and in friendship. Every new partnership between a Polish and a British business is, in its own small way, part of that same story.

If you are part of a Polish or British group, school or community organisation interested in the site’s Polish heritage, please get in touch at enquiries@rafingham.co.uk. It is a place well worth visiting, and a powerful reminder of what we can achieve together.

Looking ahead

Ministers will continue to meet, and the treaty will continue to be put into practice. We believe the businesses that benefit most will be those that move early, building Polish-British links now, while there is political goodwill and genuine demand for dependable European partners.

If you are a UK business looking for a reliable Polish supplier, or a Polish manufacturer ready to sell in Britain, we would be glad to talk.

Get in touch with POLEXPO at pol-expo.com. Tell us what you make or what you need, and we will tell you honestly whether we can help.

Sources: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland (gov.pl); GOV.UK, 13 October 2026 and May 2026; RAF Ingham Heritage Centre (rafingham.co.uk).