The international trade secretary, Liz Truss, joins a long list of people concerned that the UK may not be as ready for Brexit on 1 January 2021 as it needs to be.
In a letter to cabinet colleagues this week, she has reportedly raised concerns that the UK will not be operating a World Trade Organization (WTO) compliant border when we leave the EU. It was an embarrassing revelation, particularly coming on the same day as the UK was nominating her predecessor, Liam Fox, as the man to lead the WTO into a new era.
Truss joined an array of business groups in the UK, as well as the Scottish and Welsh governments and the Northern Ireland Assembly, who have argued Britain needs more time: either to seek an extension to the transition period, or to seek an adjustment period once transition ends to allow business to get ready.
On 1 July, the UK lost its right to ask for an extension to the transition period, under the terms of the withdrawal agreement with the EU. It might be able to engineer more time at a later point, but that is more risky legally and will depend on a heap of EU goodwill. For now, the only basis on which to plan is that we need to be ready on 31 December at 11pm to complete the process of Brexit, deal or no deal.
The immediate crunch is that this means government and business need to be ready to operate on two new borders: a border with the EU27 across the Channel, and a border between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The shape of the Irish sea border is clearer. The text was agreed last October. But the UK government initially refused to acknowledge the political inconvenience of what it had actually conceded, impeding proper preparation. The government is gradually admitting what was in the small print when it signed up to the deal: there will be customs forms, there will be border inspection posts.
But there are big issues outstanding. Two weeks ago, Michel Barnier told the House of Lords EU committee that detail in key areas was still lacking. It was a long list: customs, tax, VAT, duty, sanitary and phytosanitary arrangements, and fisheries. The thing Truss is most worried about is the readiness of the dual tariff regime; designed to allow Northern Ireland to stay behind the EU external customs border but remain part of the UK customs territory and benefit from new trade deals that may be negotiated. That promise was important to unionists in Northern Ireland.
The depth of the Irish sea border also depends on the UK-EU deal. But even if the EU simply signed on the dotted line of the UKs draft texts, businesses trading with the EU or Northern Ireland will have to be ready for big changes.
On Monday we will find out the detail of the UKs border operating model, but we know now that the EU will treat the UK as a third country with new checks, forms and bureaucracy. The negotiations will determine how intrusive they are and whether there are tariffs on top. Whatever happens, it will be very different.
Some businesses will already be preparing; others will have pushed it down the to-do list as they struggle with Covid-19. Expect a Get ready for Brexit this time its for real campaign soon to persuade businesses who sensibly banked on a transition last year that they cant put it off any longer.
Meanwhile, the UK government has already admitted that it wont be able to operate a fully functioning border between Great Britain and the EU on 1 January (not a luxury it has for the Great Britain-Northern Ireland border). Instead changes will be phased in, so only this time next year, 1 July 2021, will it be fully operational.
Truss is worried that before then, by waving EU imports through, we will face complaints in the WTO. There may be reputational damage, but the WTO will not act fast and by the time it does, we should have a functioning border up and running.
She should be more worried that many of the businesses she wants to benefit from her new trade deals beyond the EU will instead be struggling to cope with the disruption they face in maintaining trade with the UKs biggest export market.
Jill Rutter is a senior research fellow at UK in a Changing Europe
Go here to see the original:
Liz Truss is suddenly worried about a Brexit deal but for the wrong reason - The Guardian
- Its clearer than ever that Brexit has failed lets not inflict its miseries on young people - The Guardian - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- 'I might as well stop and diversify into holiday lets' new research reveals the reality of farming after Brexit - The Conversation - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- French bank to close dozens of Britons' accounts citing Brexit - The Connexion - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- UK-US trade deal 'could be easier' with Donald Trump in the White House, says Lord Frost - Express - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- Labour's Brexit conundrum - The Week - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- Post-Brexit UK Risks Being 'Left Out In The Cold' As EU Coordinates Action On Shortages - Pink Sheet - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- Brussels wants post-Brexit talks with UK on new youth mobility rights - POLITICO Europe - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- Ravaged by austerity, chastened by Brexit: how can Britain have influence abroad when its broken at home? - The Guardian - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- Sunak rejects offer of youth mobility scheme between EU and UK - The Guardian - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- Brexit, austerity and how Labour could fix Britain - Tortoise - Tortoise Media - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- NYSE considers 24/7 trading; Goldman Sachs moves senior banker to Paris amid post-Brexit overhaul - The Banker - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- EU Delighted by Prospect of UK Labour Reneging on Brexit - The European Conservative - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- Reverse the Brexit fiasco! - Workers' Liberty - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- The writing is on the wall Starmer and Brussels will undo Brexit - The Telegraph - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- UK to delay start of health and safety checks on EU imports report - The Guardian - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- Journalist Asks David Cameron Outright If Rwanda Bill Is A Consequence Of Brexit - HuffPost UK - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- 'We retired to Spain after Brexit and it's much cheaper - the UK seems miserable' - inews - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- The EU would rather destroy the planet than let Brexit succeed - The Telegraph - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- War heroes and Brexit: Why Greeks will always love the British - The Telegraph - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- WATCH: Castletownbere fishermen to feature in documentary on impact of Brexit | Southern Star - The Southern Star - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- Britons told their French bank accounts 'are being closed due to Brexit' - inews - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- Post-Brexit border controls delayed again in the UK - hortidaily.com - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- UK rejects mobility agreement with Europe to help young people travel and live abroad - The Independent - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- EU proposing post-Brexit joint youth work and study scheme with UK - Sky News - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- Brexit border checks will start from 30 April - Fruitnet - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- Lord of the Rings star Dominic Monaghan says 'Brexit was a con' and urges others to take action - Manchester Evening News - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- The EU has finally admitted it needs Britain more than we need it - The Telegraph - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- The Brexit revelations: May's no-deal, a Canada plan and mating porcupines - The Times - April 24th, 2024 [April 24th, 2024]
- Italian citizens bank accounts frozen owing to shameful post-Brexit rules - The Guardian - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- EU Policy. UK hails financial access deal with Switzerland after Brexit losses - Euronews - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- Brexit: How the NI Protocol became the Windsor Framework - BBC.com - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- EU Approves Three-Year Delay to Post-Brexit Tariffs on EVs - OilPrice.com - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- Travel chaos is 'only going to get worse' when new EU fingerprint checks come in - NationalWorld - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- British exporters call on government to ease post-Brexit trade frictions with EU - The Guardian - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- Brits visiting Europe will have to give fingerprints under new rules - Metro.co.uk - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- Ursula von der Leyen humiliated as UK forced major EU climbdown in Brexit car victory - Express - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- Modern slavery a feature of care sector in England since Brexit - The Guardian - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- US president Joe Biden ditches trade deal talks with Britain over fears of job losses - The Independent - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- Brexit inflation: The role of trade policy uncertainty in increasing UK import prices - CEPR - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- UK and EU Reach Accord on Post-Brexit Electric Car Tariff Postponement - IndiaTimes - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- How are Brexit travel restrictions easing outbound and inbound? - The Independent - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- Jeremy Hunt to strike post-Brexit banking deal with Switzerland - Yahoo Finance UK - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- Britain was right to Brexit | MoneyWeek - MoneyWeek - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- Brexit pain could be eased for Brits with homes in France - The Independent - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- DUP talks about post-Brexit trading have ended, Northern Ireland secretary says - The Guardian - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- Have voters cooled on the prospect of re-joining the EU? - UK in a Changing Europe - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- Brexit will really start to bite us in 2024. How ready are you? - The Independent - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- UK ditches company working time rules in further post-Brexit red tape cuts - City A.M. - November 8th, 2023 [November 8th, 2023]
- Sovereignty, economy, immigration: still the three pillars of the Brexit ... - UK in a Changing Europe - November 8th, 2023 [November 8th, 2023]
- Just because Brexit isnt on the frontpages, doesnt mean its settled - UK in a Changing Europe - November 8th, 2023 [November 8th, 2023]
- Post-Brexit EU clearing rules set for more relaxed approach - International Financing Review - November 8th, 2023 [November 8th, 2023]
- There's trouble in store for post-Brexit Britain - The New European - November 8th, 2023 [November 8th, 2023]
- SMEs feel the squeeze from Brexit - Financial Times - November 8th, 2023 [November 8th, 2023]
- Three years of polling on the Protocol reveals the depth of the new ... - Newswise - November 8th, 2023 [November 8th, 2023]
- James O'Brien on post-Brexit Britain: 'This conflation of patriotism ... - The Irish Times - November 8th, 2023 [November 8th, 2023]
- What's really behind GB News signing Boris as the voice of Brexit ... - Prospect Magazine - November 8th, 2023 [November 8th, 2023]
- Revealed: How Brexit and the Covid hangover are affecting the ... - Car Dealer Magazine - November 8th, 2023 [November 8th, 2023]
- Grayson Perry's portrait from the edge - The New European - November 8th, 2023 [November 8th, 2023]
- Bankers bonuses are back and the long 2010s dominated by Brexit ... - City A.M. - November 8th, 2023 [November 8th, 2023]
- Ports and truckers clash over post-Brexit border costs - Financial Times - September 17th, 2023 [September 17th, 2023]
- What would the UK look like without Brexit? - The New Statesman - September 17th, 2023 [September 17th, 2023]
- The long road of Brexit: A shifting regulatory reality - New Food - September 17th, 2023 [September 17th, 2023]
- Make-or-break moment looms for Northern Ireland's failed government - POLITICO Europe - September 17th, 2023 [September 17th, 2023]
- Barry Jones The Voice is our Brexit moment - The Saturday Paper - September 17th, 2023 [September 17th, 2023]
- Mark Carney Has Delivered A Stunning Takedown Of Brexit And Liz Truss - Yahoo Movies UK - September 17th, 2023 [September 17th, 2023]
- It's not just the 'Remainers' whingeing Britain really is broken - The Australian Financial Review - September 17th, 2023 [September 17th, 2023]
- UK SMEs not ready for 'avalanche' of Brexit 2.0 rules and taxes - Financial Times - September 17th, 2023 [September 17th, 2023]
- Brexit Bitterness Continues To Cloud Reporting The European Conservative - The European Conservative - September 17th, 2023 [September 17th, 2023]
- Green Brexit doesn't extend to pesticide protections - Footprint - September 17th, 2023 [September 17th, 2023]
- Theresa May says her Brexit deal was better than Boris Johnson's - POLITICO Europe - September 17th, 2023 [September 17th, 2023]
- Remainer UK civil servants were in tears over Brexit, top official says - POLITICO Europe - September 17th, 2023 [September 17th, 2023]
- Mark Carney Has Delivered A Stunning Takedown Of Brexit And Liz Truss - Yahoo News Canada - September 17th, 2023 [September 17th, 2023]
- More Brits than ever say Brexit was wrong choice: YouGov survey - Reuters UK - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- Britain's fishing industry in line for post-Brexit boost following the end of EU red tape - Daily Mail - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- Tabloids are misleading their readers over Brexit at their own peril - The Media Leader - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- UK Support to Rejoin the EU Passes 50% for the First Time Since Brexit - Yahoo News - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- Record Numbers of Brits Regretting Brexit, Survey Shows - SchengenVisaInfo.com - SchengenVisaInfo.com - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- Almost two-thirds of Brits think Brexit has been a failure - The New European - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- Five ways UK fashion industry can grow post-Brexit, Covid - just-style.com - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]
- British companies start to grapple with 'Brexit 2.0' - Financial Times - July 19th, 2023 [July 19th, 2023]