Europe’s biggest fish market like a ghost town due to Brexit – industry head
Europe’s biggest fish market has been turned into a ghost town by Brexit, an industry head has said.
James Withers, chief executive of Scotland Food and Drink, said that even during the height of the pandemic, thousands of boxes a day were being landed at Peterhead fish market in Aberdeenshire – but that this has dwindled significantly since the UK left the EU.
He tweeted pictures of the “sad sight” of the fish market hall lying mostly empty apart from a few crates and said that exporters are being “crippled” by the situation.
It comes after seafood hauliers protested against the Brexit fishing deal by stacking lorries in central London on Monday.
James Withers @scotfoodjames What a sad sight. Europe’s biggest fish market in Peterhead like a ghost town. Built to deal with 10,000 boxes/day but with a few hundred. Boats tied up, exporters crippled. No Brexit image of lorry queues, it’s the sight of trade that isn’t moving at all. Pics via @will051266
“Brexit is their policy and this is their mess.
“So instead of mocking the plight of the industry, as Jacob Rees-Mogg has done – or admitting they were too busy preparing for Christmas to read the details of the Brexit deal, as another Tory minister has done – they should be doing everything they can to help fix it.”
As I said, me personally I've not experienced any notable difference despite all the gloom & doom forecasts that the country would suffer food/medical/supply problems.
Brexiters are waking up to the damage they've done
Brexit has beached the fishing boats at Hastings. The two-man crew of Paul Joy’s boat Kaya have left for shore jobs, after the price of the huss they land fell to just 2p a kilo. Exports to the European Union are Brexit-blighted, with fishers across Britain poleaxed by new costs and regulations, their catches rotting before they reach EU markets. It’s costing them millions already.
For the past two years Joy, a passionate Brexiter, has consistently told me he believes his industry would be shafted in any trade deal. “Betrayed, sacrificed,” he says, outraged at the government’s failure to secure British fishing rights for 12 miles around the coast, and now crippled by the export costs. So when foreign secretary Dominic Raab has the effrontery to tell the BBC’s Andrew Marr that this is “a great deal for the fishing industry”, he must know it’s not true.
Other industries want to know if Boris Johnson’s promised “compensation” for fishing losses means a huge subsidy in perpetuity for this less than 0.2% sliver of the economy? Because the problems exploding in one industry after another, in less than three Brexit weeks, are not going away.
Friction is the new normal. As the chief EU negotiator, Michel Barnier said firmly last week, things have “changed for good”. UK choices mean “mechanical, obvious, inevitable consequences when you leave the single market and that’s what the British wished to do”. It’s not French revenge, or ****-minded Brussels, but ordinary life as a third country.
The plight of the fishers is just a vivid emblem for the great blow that is falling on exporting parts of the economy. Michael Gove’s December warnings of “bumpy moments” upped an octave in the first week of this year, to Britain should prepare for “significant border disruption”.
That well-staged last-minute-deal melodrama was designed to end Brexit stories, relegating all boring details of the aftermath to the business pages. Not so. The stories are so strong even the ardent Brexit-creating press can’t resist them – though now those newspapers add a self-exculpatory slant that blames the government for a bad Brexit. Here are some random discoveries since Brexit day.
The Sun warns of Brexit’s threat to the Cheltenham Festival: last year 180 Irish horses ran, but this year, “Brexit leaves Irish racehorse trainers fearing ‘colossal’ tax bill”. Likewise, the cost of taking UK showjump horses across the Channel is prohibitive for their British owners. Motorsport faces similar fees for cars shipped to EU races.
The fashion industry – especially Asos-type, cheap end with small margins – is hitting a rules-of-origin crisis, paying new duties on its many products manufactured outside the EU. Fun stories in the Sun include the lorry driver crossing the Gibraltar/Spain border whose bottle of Nando’s sauce is confiscated, along with all those ham sandwiches snatched by the Dutch. The Daily Telegraph reports the flight of Europeans from England, but not from “remain-voting Scotland and Northern Ireland”. Farmers Weekly sends up flares about plunging meat prices, due to delayed exports.
All these losses to a host of smaller industries mount up fast. But look at the Sunday Times report on the crisis in a car industry that’s worth £42bn in exports, employing 823,000 people, where car-part delays are halting production at some factories. Yet still, most economically deadly is the unseen slipping away of invisibles, where that 80% of the economy in services is already leaking tax revenues. Bloomberg keeps up its grim recording of no likely progress: “City of London’s plight laid bare as Brexit deal hopes fade,” it reports.
And then there is the unfolding Northern Ireland disaster. Stena Line ferries has diverted its Great Britain-Northern Ireland sea crossings to the Rosslare-to-Cherbourg route instead. The Times headline reads “Doldrums ahead in shipping forecast as Brexit complicates customs”.
Over the past year I have been following the impending haulage disaster through Manfreight, a 200-lorry company in Coleraine. Its owner Chris Slowey says no, the crisis in the GB/UK crossing is not down to “teething problems”, as Raab put it, but is baked into the nature of Brexit. His lorries carrying exports to England return empty, doubling his costs, as English exporters find it too costly to sell to Northern Ireland – and that’s permanent. The Telegraph reports that one in 10 lorries are being turned back at the EU border. Delays will continue: spot checks at EU borders are standard. So will queues, lorry parks and roadside squalor. The pandemic has worsened the Brexit effect, but that was a good reason to extend the transition period.
It’s only human to confess to some remainer “I told you so” glee when ex-MP Kate Hoey wails in the Telegraph, “The Tories have betrayed Northern Ireland with their Brexit deal”. What on earth did she expect? That’s why Northern Ireland wisely voted remain.
Expect a lot more shocked Brexiters to discover what they have done, the Brexit cabinet itself is on a steep learning curve. Here’s one Telegraph columnist: “We Brexiters are being blamed for the problems we warned about. In reality, the fault lies squarely with the government and poor planning.” Oh the schadenfreude! That’s a sharp U-turn from the Telegraph’s too-eager 1 January report from the Dover front: “Chaos? What chaos?”
As Brexiters turn on each other, Brexit politics move fast. Until now the Tories planned to move on, only reviving “Brexit done” triumphalism to re-arouse the captured red wall at the election: Labour just wanted to bury the whole issue.
But the scale of the eruptions bursting out in one sector after another requires the opposition to find its footing on this tricky terrain. Many like Paul Joy on Hastings beach are still as passionately pro-Brexit as ever. Fearlessly, Labour needs to regain its voice of outrage that Brexit leaders deliberately shut their ears to what leaving the single market and the customs union really meant. A better Brexit deal really was possible.
Jersey potato farmers fly in workers from the Philippines to stop crops rotting in the fields and plug gap left by Romanian and Polish migrants after Brexit
Growers had feared that Jersey Royal potatoes would be left to rot in the fields after farm workers, many of whom were Polish, abandoned the island after the EU referendum. Farmers say the void has finally been filled by Filipino workers who were 'keeping the farming industry going' on the Channel Island. Peter Le Maistre, president of the Jersey Farmers Union, said the impact of Brexit had led to more farm workers being recruited from further afield. Pictured, Filipino workers at work on Manor Farm (inset), which specialises in growing Jersey Potatoes.
Hundreds of British lorry drivers fined £300 for not having permit to drive through Kent
Hundreds of British lorry drivers have been given £300 fines for not having a permit to enter Kent - a measure brought in due to Brexit.
Police have handed out a total of 407 penalties since the new rules came into effect when the UK stopped being under EU rules on 1 January.
Hauliers travelling from around the UK heading to France have to get a Kent Access Permit before entering the county so they can carry on their way via the Port of Dover or Eurotunnel.
The extra red tape has caused controversy and hold-ups at the border.
Brexit export EU costs a 'nasty shock' for small business owners
The UK's new trading relationship with the European Union (EU) might be less than two weeks old but some businesses - and their European customers - are already struggling to adjust to the new trading landscape.
About half of the posters Bill Philpot creates and sells from his Suffolk-based studio are sold to customers in Europe.
His very first sale after the new post-Brexit rules came into effect was from a customer in France.
But that customer was far from amused. On top of the £80 cost of the poster, says Mr Philpot, the customer had to pay a further €34 (£30) made up of French tax, a brokerage charge from delivery firm UPS (to expedite it through customs), and the new EU sales tax.
The 73-year-old, who spent a career in advertising before setting up his Art Deco-style poster business 15 years ago to supplement his retirement income, says he is "horrified" by the extra charges.
Mr Philpot, who lives in Great Glemham, near Framlingham, says he "genuinely fears" he "might lose [his] business".
"Customers will stop buying - €34 (£30) is a hefty loading," he says.
"It's a modest business, I get about half a dozen orders a week.
"Once potential customers cotton on to these new charges, they'll stop buying from me, and from many other small UK businesses."
The new rules New rules have come into force for those in the UK either importing from, or exporting to, Europe.
Exactly what licenses are needed or what duties must be paid depends on what is being exported, its value, where the product originates from and to which country it is being sent, according to government guidance.
From 1 January, the UK government introduced a rule that VAT must be collected at the point of sale rather than the point of importation.
This essentially means that overseas retailers sending goods to the UK are expected to register for UK VAT and account for it to HMRC if the sale value is less than €150 (£135).
This has led to a number of Europe-based retailers deciding they will no longer deliver to the UK.
'Massive disadvantage'
Anne Neill has run Walkers.Style, an online women's wear store, for 30 years.
She says her initial "delight" at the announcement of a tariff-free deal with the EU on 24 December gave way to "startling" concerns.
A "significant proportion" of her customers live in EU countries, she says, and it has now emerged recent orders had been levied with unexpected charges running to more than €100 per order.
"We had been monitoring the Brexit situation since 2016 and I was fearful that import duty could put me at a price disadvantage to my European rivals," Ms Neill says.
"When the trade deal was announced, I was delighted… but on Friday our customers began reporting issues with unexpected charges on their doorstep. Now all the stock has to come back to us, and that has a cost.
"It's a huge deal to me. It couldn't be bigger."
Suppliers to the company, which is based in Lowestoft, Suffolk, are all European designers - but the country of origin for the orders are usually from further afield, often China, and not something that the company has an influence over.
This has meant goods can now have three lots of duty applied, putting UK retails at a "massive disadvantage".
She says her "vibrant" business was not under threat but it faces a "serious problem" and she has written to MPs to press for "immediate" changes.
Brexit: NI secretary 'like emperor with no clothes'
Stormont's agriculture minister has hit back at a claim by the NI secretary that trade disruption across the Irish Sea is due to Covid-19 and not Brexit.
On Tuesday, Brandon Lewis said images of empty supermarket shelves had "nothing to do with the Protocol".
But Edwin Poots said Brexit will affect the supply of many processed foods.
He described Mr Lewis as "the emperor with no clothes - but instead of a small boy pointing out he's naked, the whole crowd is pointing it out".
Furious Kent residents step up fight over Brexit lorry park
Residents of a village near Dover have mounted what they describe as a “David and Goliath” battle to try to reverse government plans to turn fields at the ends of their gardens into a giant Brexit customs clearance site for 1,200 lorries.
Brexit news – live: Music legends blast ‘shameful’ government as Tory MPs rip out NHS protections
More than 100 British musicians – including Sir Elton John, Sting and Liam Gallagher – have signed a letter saying artists have been “shamefully failed” by Boris Johnson’s government over post-Brexit travel rules. They accused No 10 of breaking a promise to negotiate visa-free travel in the EU. It comes as Conservative MPs have voted to rip out an amendment to the trade bill preventing the NHS being sold off or undermined by post-Brexit agreements with other countries.
'Big loss' for Britain as EU trade deal exposes some UK cars to tariffs
The deal means firms only enjoy the tariff-free trade they had until last month if they can prove a certain amount of their product ‘originates’ in Britain or the EU, with the rules varying by sector.
Such strict rules-of-origin requirements pose a major headache for many firms using parts from outside the EU, with carmakers among the most affected as many source large numbers of parts from around the world.
Gasiorek said Britain had pushed Brussels for a more generous settlement, allowing carmakers to source parts from certain other countries without increasing the risk of tariffs. Such effective exemptions are common in global trade agreements, with Britain granting EU parts such special status in its trade deal with Japan.
But in the final UK-EU deal, no such ‘third country accumulation,’ as it is formally known, was agreed.
“That’s a big loss for the UK,” he said in a call with British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) members on Tuesday. “That’s going to impact on trade flows in future, and the way supply chains are organised.”
It makes trade “more difficult for carmakers,” he told Yahoo Finance UK after the call, though the impact will vary according to their supply chains.
Such rules and potential tariffs affect both UK consumers buying from EU car or other goods manufacturers, and UK carmakers exporting to the EU.
A Ford spokesman told Autocar last week that hikes in the cost of several of its Fiesta and Puma models were “all to do with Brexit pricing.”
The cost of a Fiesta ST-3 rose by £1,695 between December and January, according to the industry publication.
The spokesman said it was because some engine parts were from the US. Both models were therefore reported to be hit by UK tariffs, as they exceeded the allowed proportion of non-European components.
Some UK carmakers’ ranges are also at risk of EU tariffs, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT). It said last month the deal did not deliver on “key asks,” including allowing carmakers to use common supply countries, such as Japan, Korea and Turkey, without raising their exposure to tariffs.
“Some members were disappointed,” chief executive Mike Hawes told Autocar on Tuesday. He said securing better deals with such common supply countries had been a “big ask” by Britain, however.
Another trade expert on the industry call, Dr Anna Jerzewska, of consultancy Trade and Borders, agreed. "It was always unlikely for the EU to agree to such type of cumulation with the UK," she told Yahoo Finance UK.
Under the UK-EU deal, 55% of the average car’s parts will have to come from the UK or the EU to avoid tariffs, according to Gasiorek.
He gave the example of a carmaker which sourced around a third of their parts from Britain, and a third from Korea. It would face tariffs of 10% under the agreement.
If Britain had secured a deal allowing Korean parts to count as effectively ‘domestic’ parts, “the car could be exported duty-free.”
To be honest I'd forgotten all about Brexit with all that's going on at the moment and I can't say that I've noticed any difference that Brexit has caused so far.
Brexit: Five surprising consequences
While the UK government had been warning of some disruption to trade as the new UK-EU relationship began at the beginning of 2021, some of the consequences seem to have taken people by surprise.
Here are five of the outcomes that have been in the news so far this year.
1. Ham sandwiches confiscated UK lorry drivers filmed at the Dutch border appeared surprised to have had their sandwiches confiscated.
They had just disembarked from a ferry to the Hook of Holland.
Trade restrictions cover not only the items in the back of the lorry.
UK government guidance says: "Drivers travelling to the EU should be aware of additional restrictions to personal imports.
"You cannot bring POAO (products of an animal origin) such as those containing meat or dairy (eg a ham-and-cheese sandwich) into the EU."
2. Deliveries to Northern Ireland suspended There has been confusion about customs declarations on parcels going from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, with some retailers, such as John Lewis, suspending deliveries.
"There is significant cause for concern from both businesses and consumers," Northern Ireland Economy Minister Diane Dodds wrote in a letter to the UK government.
Goods going from Great Britain to Northern Ireland - which are deemed to be at risk of ending up in the Republic of Ireland - may have to pay a tariff.
And either way, a customs declaration may be needed to say what the final destination is.
On New Year's Eve, the UK government announced a grace period that meant parcels valued at less than £135, going from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, would not need customs declarations until at least April.
But there still seems to be confusion among some retailers.
3. Tariffs charged on Ghana bananas While the UK government managed to roll over most of the third-country trade deals it had as part of the EU, that did not include Ghana's.
Labour MP Gareth Thomas told the Commons on Monday: "The government's dismal treatment of Ghana - a key Commonwealth ally - is particularly surprising," criticising the UK negotiators for turning up to talks late and poorly briefed, meaning no deal had been done.
He added the upshot of the failure to do a deal was cocoa, tuna and bananas arriving in the UK faced heavy tariffs (or import taxes), with that already having happened to two shipments.
Last week, the first of those shipments was mentioned in the House of Lords, after it emerged a tariff of £17,500 had been charged at Portsmouth on bananas from Ghana.
4. Cannabis oil prescriptions not recognised Parents of children with severe epilepsy said they had no longer been able to cash their prescriptions for a particular medicinal cannabis oil from the Netherlands.
Bedrocan oils used to be dispensed in the Netherlands against UK prescriptions.
But Hannah Deacon, whose campaign to have the oil prescribed for her son, Alfie Dingley, helped bring about the legalisation of medicinal cannabis in the UK, told BBC News her prescription was now "not recognised" by the Dutch authorities.
The health secretary told BBC News he was working with the Dutch government and the Home Office to find a solution.
But Ms Deacon criticised the UK government for not having engaged with the Dutch earlier.
5. Scottish seafood held up at borders Scottish seafood exporters say their shipments to the EU are being held up by red tape in both Scotland and France.
The Scottish Seafood Association said the delays were due to the need to check entire trailers rather than just samples.
Lorries had been backlogged in Boulogne, it said.
And the situation was likely to worsen as traffic increased.
Delays in Scotland, meanwhile, are due to the time it takes to secure an export-health certificate for both wild and farmed salmon.
The UK government said it was aware of "a small number of issues... due to some information not being entered correctly into UK and French systems".
The UK-EU trade agreement, which contains new rules for living, working and trading together, takes effect from 23:00 GMT on 31 December.
The full complicated agreement is more than 1,200 pages long, but here are some of the key points.
FISHING What the deal says:
Over the next five-and-a-half years, the UK will gradually gain a greater share of the fish from its own waters. The UK could choose to ban EU fishing boats from 2026, but the EU would be allowed to introduce taxes on British fish in response. What does that mean?
Fishing was the hardest and last issue to be resolved in the negotiation, and some UK fishermen are unhappy with the arrangement. The Scottish Fishermen's Federation, for example, says the deal does not give the UK enough control of its waters. Starting in 2026, the UK and the EU will hold regular talks on fishing access. So there could be more heated arguments ahead.
TRAVEL What the deal says:
UK nationals will need a visa for stays of longer than 90 days in the EU in a 180-day period. EU pet passports will no longer be valid. European Health Insurance Cards, (EHIC) cards will remain valid until they expire. The UK is no longer subject to the ban on additional roaming charges, although both sides will encourage operators to have "transparent and reasonable rates" for roaming. What does that mean?
The UK government says EHIC will be replaced with a new UK Global Health Insurance Card, but full details have not been released yet. Pets will still be allowed in the EU, but it will be a more complicated process as owners will need to obtain an animal health certificate for each trip they make. UK mobile operators will be able to charge for roaming, so people should check with their mobile phone company before travelling.
SERVICES AND QUALIFICATIONS What the deal says:
Businesses offering services, such as banking, architecture and accounting, will lose their automatic right of access to EU markets and will face some restrictions. There will no longer be automatic recognition of professional qualifications for people such as doctors, chefs and architects. What does that mean?
Rather than following one set of rules for the whole of the EU, UK businesses will need to comply with the regulations in each individual country. It will be harder for people with qualifications gained in the UK to sell their services in the EU. Individuals will need to check each country's rules to make sure their qualification is still recognised. However, the UK and EU have pledged to keep talking to try to improve access for the service sector in the future.
EUROPEAN COURT OF JUSTICE AND OTHER DISPUTES What the deal says:
There will be no role in the UK for the European Court of Justice (ECJ), which is the highest court in the EU. Disputes that cannot be resolved between the UK and the EU will be referred to an independent tribunal instead. What does that mean?
Ending the role of the ECJ was a key UK demand as Brexit supporters said it would allow the UK to "take back control" of its laws. The ECJ could still have a role in Northern Ireland because it continues to follow some EU trade rules. If either side moves too far away from the current rules around product standards, tariffs (charges on imports) could be imposed on some goods in the future
SECURITY AND DATA What the deal says:
The UK will no longer have automatic access to key security databases, but should be able to gain access upon request. The UK will not be a member of the EU's law enforcement agency, Europol, but it will have a presence at its headquarters. The UK is no longer obliged to comply with EU standards of data protection, but data will continue to be exchanged in the same way for at least four months as long as the UK doesn't change its data protection rules. What does that mean?
The UK's arrangement with Europol will be similar to the one the US currently has. Many of the rules about storing and processing data still need be decided.
To be honest I'd forgotten all about Brexit with all that's going on at the moment and I can't say that I've noticed any difference that Brexit has caused so far.
UK ministers gain power to allow lower-standard food imports
Ministers will be able to approve the import of animal and agricultural products of a lower standard than currently permitted in the UK, after attempts to amend the trade bill failed.
The government has repeatedly vowed not to allow the import of chlorinated chicken and hormone-treated beef, but has refused to sign those pledges into law.
The House of Lords put forward amendments to the trade bill that would have required future trade agreements to be scrutinised by parliament, with a view to ensuring standards are retained, but the key amendment fell on Tuesday night by 353 votes to 277.
Campaigners said the new post-Brexit arrangements for food imports and food production standards in the UK would allow ministers to make sweeping changes to existing food safety regulations without consultation.
Many products could be affected. For instance, while the government has said it will not allow chlorinated chicken, meat can be washed in a variety of other substances that have similar effects: peracetic acid, cetylpyridinium chloride, acidified sodium chlorite, or organic acid rinses.
Chicken treated with bleach and similar substances can retain some pathogens, according to research, and campaigners also fear that such treatment is used to disguise infections caused by animals being kept in poor conditions that would be illegal in this country.
In the debate, the government sought to reassure MPs that there were sufficient safeguards to ensure the UK’s standards were kept high.
However, there was disagreement. Jonathan Djanogly, one of a small number of Conservative MPs who voted against the government, said: “Ministers suggest that a pre-signature vote [on a trade deal] would make them look less decisive and weaken their hand, but I would suggest that the opposite is actually the case. In the US, negotiations are often strengthened by the executive suggesting that Congress won’t accept such-and-such a proposal.”
He added: “The power of approval that was given to MEPs now needs to come back here to parliament, not to be forgotten by ministers. Having proper scrutiny votes will go towards establishing the UK as a modern, democratic, confident, international trading nation, and we should be embracing that.”
Campaigners pointed to loopholes in the government’s regulations that mean food standards can be altered without consultation or fanfare. They said the rules would make it difficult to even find out whether standards had been lowered.
Roger Daltrey branded hypocrite after signing letter criticising Brexit deal's impact on touring
Roger Daltrey has put his name to a letter calling for visa-free travel in Europe for musicians, despite being a vocal Brexiteer.
The Who singer is one of a number of artists signing the letter in the wake of the government's Brexit deal not including visa-free travel for musicians.
Sir Elton John, Brian May and Liam Gallagher are among the other stars to sign, however, 76-year-old Daltrey has been singled out for hypocrisy after he publicly backed leaving the European Union. The Tommy star also previously questioned what impact Brexit would have on the music industry.
Jake Humphrey 💙 @mrjakehumphrey Roger Daltrey has signed a letter demanding action from UK govt to ensure visa-free touring in the EU.
In a 2019 interview with Sky News, he remarked: "What's it got to do with the rock business?"
After the reporter questioned how he would tour in Europe, Daltrey scoffed: "Oh dear. As if we didn't tour in Europe before the f***ing EU. Oh give it up!"
Presenter Jake Humphrey noted that "life comes at you fast" as he shared a clip of the interview to his Twitter page.
Humphrey's sentiments appeared to be shared by other Twitter users, including one who commented: "Good to see Roger Daltrey has signed this letter about how the #BrexitShambles will destroy Britain's massive music exports, particularly since he supported, er, the #Brexit that has delivered this wreckage. Peak everything."
"Poor old Roger Daltrey singing ‘won't get fooled again’ for fifty years before getting totally mugged off by Brexit," another added.
"'I never thought they'd eat MY face,' sobs Roger Daltrey, who campaigned to allow Leopards to Eat Peoples' Faces," a third jibed.
The letter to the government states there is a “gaping hole where the promised free movement for musicians should be” and argues the cost of work permits makes ‘many tours unviable, especially for young emerging musicians who are already struggling to keep their heads above water owing to the Covid ban on live music’.”
Government warns of WORSENING chaos at Britain's ports as lorry traffic returns to normal levels - but Brussels refuses to help ease backlogs unless Boris abandons his deregulation ambitions
Tailbacks stretching for miles are expected if drivers aren't equipped with the correct customs paperwork or negative covid tests which the French demand (pictured: queues at Dover last week, main; Boris Johnson leaving Downing Street on Wednesday, top right; and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, bottom right). But Brussels says it won't grease the wheels unless Boris Johnson abandons his plans for a 'Singapore on the Thames.' An EU diplomat said: 'Of course we can in future discuss how to have less friction. Discussing further facilitation or ways to reduce friction would depend on what the UK is doing and where they want to go. Initiating that conversation and negotiation will not be made easier if the other side of the table is talking up deregulation or Singapore on the Thames.'
Brexit news - live: Food shortages are due to leaving EU, UK admits amid diplomatic row over bloc’s status
The international trade secretary, Liz Truss, has admitted Brexit led to food shortages in Northern Ireland after weeks of disruption.
Her Cabinet colleague Brandon Lewis, the Northern Ireland secretary, had argued that the coronavirus crisis, not the end of the transition period, was solely to blame for the shortages before Ms Truss contradicted him, blaming “both of those issues”.
To be honest I'd forgotten all about Brexit with all that's going on at the moment and I can't say that I've noticed any difference that Brexit has caused so far.
Brexit: 'I was asked to pay an extra £82 for my £200 coat'
"I had no idea at all I was going to be charged any more for deliveries after Brexit. The extra costs were definitely a bit of a shock."
Ellie Huddleston, a 26-year-old Londoner, thought she would treat herself to some new work clothes in the January sales.
Having spotted a bargain, she placed an order for a coat and a number of blouses from two of her favourite clothes brands based in Europe.
But both deliveries were delayed, held up in customs checks for at least a week, she says.
She was surprised when she then received a text from courier company DPD, containing a link asking her to pay £58 in customs duties, VAT and additional charges for her £180 order.
On top of that, the UPS courier for the second parcel showed up at her door several days later, asking for an extra payment of £82 for her £200 coat.
These charges, imposed by new government rules, have to be collected by the courier firms on the authorities' behalf.
"I didn't even know when the parcels would be coming - so I sent both back without paying the extra fees and won't be ordering anything from Europe again any time soon," Ellie says.
Post-Brexit charges When the UK was part of the European Union's customs union, goods could move freely between the country and other member states without import taxes being charged.
But Ellie was one of the shoppers caught unaware of the fact that those rules have changed since the UK's official exit.
EU retailers sending packages to the UK now need to fill out customs declaration forms. Shoppers may also have to pay customs or VAT charges, depending on the value of the product and where it came from.
However, these are the responsibility of the customer, not the retailer, who often has no idea of how much the eventual extra cost might be.
They cannot be paid in advance and are levied only when the item reaches the UK.
Another unhappy customer, Graeme from Manchester, paid £300 to buy two pairs of suede winter boots from a German firm online.
"You couldn't get them anywhere in the UK, so I had no choice but to order them from Europe," he told the BBC.
The next thing he knew, courier UPS had sent him a text message saying he had to pay £147 extra before the boots could be delivered. He paid up, but is still waiting for the goods to arrive.
"It was virtually impossible to find out what the charges would be beforehand," he says, "so I had to take a shot in the dark.
"I didn't imagine that it would be half as much again."
Under the new rules, anyone in the UK receiving a gift from the EU worth more than £39 may now face a bill for import VAT - with many items charged at 20%.
For goods costing more than £135, customs duties may also apply, which can range from 0% to 25% of the product you're buying if they have not been paid by the sender already.
The extra charges are usually collected by the courier on behalf of the government, with customers asked to pay before they can pick up their package.
Some specialist European retailers, such as bicycle part firm Dutch Bike Bits and Belgium-based Beer On Web, recently said that they would stop all deliveries to the UK because of the VAT changes, which came into force on 1 January.
Some firms have started charging additional "handling fees" to shoppers to cover costs associated with extra customs checks and paperwork that must be filled out.
Royal Mail, for example, is charging an £8 fee it says "reflects the cost of clearing items through customs and presenting them to Border Force".
Meanwhile, delivery firm DHL says it is charging UK customers 2.5% of the amount paid to clear customs, with a minimum charge of £11.
Mail and freight company TNT is also adding £4.31 on all shipments from the UK to the EU and vice versa. It has said this reflects the increased investment it has had to make in adjusting its systems to cope with Brexit.
A spokeswoman for Logistics UK told the BBC that the handling fees were "a commercial decision by individual businesses".
But Michelle Dale, senior manager at accountants UHY Hacker Young, said that new charges could present a major problem for firms in the coming weeks.
"I think what we'll find is that a lot of trade with the EU from a business-to-customer perspective will come to a stop until some of these rules are eased," she said.
Your rights and disputes UK consumers' rights when buying online, or receiving gifts, from the EU are now more complicated and could lead to disputes. VAT, customs duties and handling fees may all need to be paid. They could be applied before delivery. Many people may find they need to visit the post office to pay all the relevant charges before the item is released Under the Consumer Rights Act, online shoppers have 14 days to return an unwanted item, but they may find it costs them money to send it back Disputes are likely to arise if buyers think the extra charges are a "hidden cost" that they were unaware of, and feel they should not pay. Now the UK has left the EU, this dispute can no longer be settled in UK courts. It falls under the jurisdiction of the country where the seller is located To avoid losing UK consumers' trade, some overseas sellers in other parts of the world have introduced a rebate scheme to refund some of the charges post-delivery Meanwhile, any parcels or gifts sent from England, Wales or Scotland to the EU must have one of a variety of customs forms stuck to it 2px presentational grey line A government spokesperson said: "The new VAT model ensures goods from EU and non-EU countries are treated in the same way and that UK businesses are not disadvantaged by competition from VAT-free imports.
"The new system also addresses the problem of overseas sellers failing to pay the right amount of VAT when they sell goods in the UK. We anticipate this will bring in £300m in tax every year, to fund essential UK public services."
There is speculation the rules may change, but until they do, Ellie says she won't be buying from European firms.
"With all that uncertainty around things and whether or not these charges might change, I'd rather just avoid the hassle," she says.
Comments
Europe’s biggest fish market has been turned into a ghost town by Brexit, an industry head has said.
James Withers, chief executive of Scotland Food and Drink, said that even during the height of the pandemic, thousands of boxes a day were being landed at Peterhead fish market in Aberdeenshire – but that this has dwindled significantly since the UK left the EU.
He tweeted pictures of the “sad sight” of the fish market hall lying mostly empty apart from a few crates and said that exporters are being “crippled” by the situation.
It comes after seafood hauliers protested against the Brexit fishing deal by stacking lorries in central London on Monday.
James Withers
@scotfoodjames
What a sad sight. Europe’s biggest fish market in Peterhead like a ghost town. Built to deal with 10,000 boxes/day but with a few hundred.
Boats tied up, exporters crippled.
No Brexit image of lorry queues, it’s the sight of trade that isn’t moving at all. Pics via @will051266
“Brexit is their policy and this is their mess.
“So instead of mocking the plight of the industry, as Jacob Rees-Mogg has done – or admitting they were too busy preparing for Christmas to read the details of the Brexit deal, as another Tory minister has done – they should be doing everything they can to help fix it.”
https://uk.yahoo.com/finance/news/europe-biggest-fish-market-ghost-171833852.html
Brexit has beached the fishing boats at Hastings. The two-man crew of Paul Joy’s boat Kaya have left for shore jobs, after the price of the huss they land fell to just 2p a kilo. Exports to the European Union are Brexit-blighted, with fishers across Britain poleaxed by new costs and regulations, their catches rotting before they reach EU markets. It’s costing them millions already.
For the past two years Joy, a passionate Brexiter, has consistently told me he believes his industry would be shafted in any trade deal. “Betrayed, sacrificed,” he says, outraged at the government’s failure to secure British fishing rights for 12 miles around the coast, and now crippled by the export costs. So when foreign secretary Dominic Raab has the effrontery to tell the BBC’s Andrew Marr that this is “a great deal for the fishing industry”, he must know it’s not true.
Other industries want to know if Boris Johnson’s promised “compensation” for fishing losses means a huge subsidy in perpetuity for this less than 0.2% sliver of the economy? Because the problems exploding in one industry after another, in less than three Brexit weeks, are not going away.
Friction is the new normal. As the chief EU negotiator, Michel Barnier said firmly last week, things have “changed for good”. UK choices mean “mechanical, obvious, inevitable consequences when you leave the single market and that’s what the British wished to do”. It’s not French revenge, or ****-minded Brussels, but ordinary life as a third country.
The plight of the fishers is just a vivid emblem for the great blow that is falling on exporting parts of the economy. Michael Gove’s December warnings of “bumpy moments” upped an octave in the first week of this year, to Britain should prepare for “significant border disruption”.
That well-staged last-minute-deal melodrama was designed to end Brexit stories, relegating all boring details of the aftermath to the business pages. Not so. The stories are so strong even the ardent Brexit-creating press can’t resist them – though now those newspapers add a self-exculpatory slant that blames the government for a bad Brexit. Here are some random discoveries since Brexit day.
The Sun warns of Brexit’s threat to the Cheltenham Festival: last year 180 Irish horses ran, but this year, “Brexit leaves Irish racehorse trainers fearing ‘colossal’ tax bill”. Likewise, the cost of taking UK showjump horses across the Channel is prohibitive for their British owners. Motorsport faces similar fees for cars shipped to EU races.
The fashion industry – especially Asos-type, cheap end with small margins – is hitting a rules-of-origin crisis, paying new duties on its many products manufactured outside the EU. Fun stories in the Sun include the lorry driver crossing the Gibraltar/Spain border whose bottle of Nando’s sauce is confiscated, along with all those ham sandwiches snatched by the Dutch. The Daily Telegraph reports the flight of Europeans from England, but not from “remain-voting Scotland and Northern Ireland”. Farmers Weekly sends up flares about plunging meat prices, due to delayed exports.
All these losses to a host of smaller industries mount up fast. But look at the Sunday Times report on the crisis in a car industry that’s worth £42bn in exports, employing 823,000 people, where car-part delays are halting production at some factories. Yet still, most economically deadly is the unseen slipping away of invisibles, where that 80% of the economy in services is already leaking tax revenues. Bloomberg keeps up its grim recording of no likely progress: “City of London’s plight laid bare as Brexit deal hopes fade,” it reports.
And then there is the unfolding Northern Ireland disaster. Stena Line ferries has diverted its Great Britain-Northern Ireland sea crossings to the Rosslare-to-Cherbourg route instead. The Times headline reads “Doldrums ahead in shipping forecast as Brexit complicates customs”.
Over the past year I have been following the impending haulage disaster through Manfreight, a 200-lorry company in Coleraine. Its owner Chris Slowey says no, the crisis in the GB/UK crossing is not down to “teething problems”, as Raab put it, but is baked into the nature of Brexit. His lorries carrying exports to England return empty, doubling his costs, as English exporters find it too costly to sell to Northern Ireland – and that’s permanent. The Telegraph reports that one in 10 lorries are being turned back at the EU border. Delays will continue: spot checks at EU borders are standard. So will queues, lorry parks and roadside squalor. The pandemic has worsened the Brexit effect, but that was a good reason to extend the transition period.
It’s only human to confess to some remainer “I told you so” glee when ex-MP Kate Hoey wails in the Telegraph, “The Tories have betrayed Northern Ireland with their Brexit deal”. What on earth did she expect? That’s why Northern Ireland wisely voted remain.
Expect a lot more shocked Brexiters to discover what they have done, the Brexit cabinet itself is on a steep learning curve. Here’s one Telegraph columnist: “We Brexiters are being blamed for the problems we warned about. In reality, the fault lies squarely with the government and poor planning.” Oh the schadenfreude! That’s a sharp U-turn from the Telegraph’s too-eager 1 January report from the Dover front: “Chaos? What chaos?”
As Brexiters turn on each other, Brexit politics move fast. Until now the Tories planned to move on, only reviving “Brexit done” triumphalism to re-arouse the captured red wall at the election: Labour just wanted to bury the whole issue.
But the scale of the eruptions bursting out in one sector after another requires the opposition to find its footing on this tricky terrain. Many like Paul Joy on Hastings beach are still as passionately pro-Brexit as ever. Fearlessly, Labour needs to regain its voice of outrage that Brexit leaders deliberately shut their ears to what leaving the single market and the customs union really meant. A better Brexit deal really was
possible.
https://uk.yahoo.com/news/brexiters-waking-damage-theyve-done-164614565.html
Growers had feared that Jersey Royal potatoes would be left to rot in the fields after farm workers, many of whom were Polish, abandoned the island after the EU referendum. Farmers say the void has finally been filled by Filipino workers who were 'keeping the farming industry going' on the Channel Island. Peter Le Maistre, president of the Jersey Farmers Union, said the impact of Brexit had led to more farm workers being recruited from further afield. Pictured, Filipino workers at work on Manor Farm (inset), which specialises in growing Jersey Potatoes.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9147437/Jersey-potato-farmers-fly-workers-Philippines.html
Hundreds of British lorry drivers have been given £300 fines for not having a permit to enter Kent - a measure brought in due to Brexit.
Police have handed out a total of 407 penalties since the new rules came into effect when the UK stopped being under EU rules on 1 January.
Hauliers travelling from around the UK heading to France have to get a Kent Access Permit before entering the county so they can carry on their way via the Port of Dover or Eurotunnel.
The extra red tape has caused controversy and hold-ups at the border.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/british-lorry-drivers-fined-kent-access-permit-brexit-192425396.html
The UK's new trading relationship with the European Union (EU) might be less than two weeks old but some businesses - and their European customers - are already struggling to adjust to the new trading landscape.
About half of the posters Bill Philpot creates and sells from his Suffolk-based studio are sold to customers in Europe.
His very first sale after the new post-Brexit rules came into effect was from a customer in France.
But that customer was far from amused. On top of the £80 cost of the poster, says Mr Philpot, the customer had to pay a further €34 (£30) made up of French tax, a brokerage charge from delivery firm UPS (to expedite it through customs), and the new EU sales tax.
The 73-year-old, who spent a career in advertising before setting up his Art Deco-style poster business 15 years ago to supplement his retirement income, says he is "horrified" by the extra charges.
Mr Philpot, who lives in Great Glemham, near Framlingham, says he "genuinely fears" he "might lose [his] business".
"Customers will stop buying - €34 (£30) is a hefty loading," he says.
"It's a modest business, I get about half a dozen orders a week.
"Once potential customers cotton on to these new charges, they'll stop buying from me, and from many other small UK businesses."
The new rules
New rules have come into force for those in the UK either importing from, or exporting to, Europe.
Exactly what licenses are needed or what duties must be paid depends on what is being exported, its value, where the product originates from and to which country it is being sent, according to government guidance.
From 1 January, the UK government introduced a rule that VAT must be collected at the point of sale rather than the point of importation.
This essentially means that overseas retailers sending goods to the UK are expected to register for UK VAT and account for it to HMRC if the sale value is less than €150 (£135).
This has led to a number of Europe-based retailers deciding they will no longer deliver to the UK.
'Massive disadvantage'
Anne Neill has run Walkers.Style, an online women's wear store, for 30 years.
She says her initial "delight" at the announcement of a tariff-free deal with the EU on 24 December gave way to "startling" concerns.
A "significant proportion" of her customers live in EU countries, she says, and it has now emerged recent orders had been levied with unexpected charges running to more than €100 per order.
"We had been monitoring the Brexit situation since 2016 and I was fearful that import duty could put me at a price disadvantage to my European rivals," Ms Neill says.
"When the trade deal was announced, I was delighted… but on Friday our customers began reporting issues with unexpected charges on their doorstep. Now all the stock has to come back to us, and that has a cost.
"It's a huge deal to me. It couldn't be bigger."
Suppliers to the company, which is based in Lowestoft, Suffolk, are all European designers - but the country of origin for the orders are usually from further afield, often China, and not something that the company has an influence over.
This has meant goods can now have three lots of duty applied, putting UK retails at a "massive disadvantage".
She says her "vibrant" business was not under threat but it faces a "serious problem" and she has written to MPs to press for "immediate" changes.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-55593308
Stormont's agriculture minister has hit back at a claim by the NI secretary that trade disruption across the Irish Sea is due to Covid-19 and not Brexit.
On Tuesday, Brandon Lewis said images of empty supermarket shelves had "nothing to do with the Protocol".
But Edwin Poots said Brexit will affect the supply of many processed foods.
He described Mr Lewis as "the emperor with no clothes - but instead of a small boy pointing out he's naked, the whole crowd is pointing it out".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-55719855
Residents of a village near Dover have mounted what they describe as a “David and Goliath” battle to try to reverse government plans to turn fields at the ends of their gardens into a giant Brexit customs clearance site for 1,200 lorries.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/furious-kent-residents-step-up-fight-over-brexit-lorry-park/ar-BB1cUMfL?ocid=msedgntp
More than 100 British musicians – including Sir Elton John, Sting and Liam Gallagher – have signed a letter saying artists have been “shamefully failed” by Boris Johnson’s government over post-Brexit travel rules.
They accused No 10 of breaking a promise to negotiate visa-free travel in the EU. It comes as Conservative MPs have voted to rip out an amendment to the trade bill preventing the NHS being sold off or undermined by post-Brexit agreements with other countries.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/brexit-news-live-music-legends-blast-shameful-government-as-tory-mps-rip-out-nhs-protections/ar-BB1cUZhq?ocid=msedgntp
The deal means firms only enjoy the tariff-free trade they had until last month if they can prove a certain amount of their product ‘originates’ in Britain or the EU, with the rules varying by sector.
Such strict rules-of-origin requirements pose a major headache for many firms using parts from outside the EU, with carmakers among the most affected as many source large numbers of parts from around the world.
Gasiorek said Britain had pushed Brussels for a more generous settlement, allowing carmakers to source parts from certain other countries without increasing the risk of tariffs. Such effective exemptions are common in global trade agreements, with Britain granting EU parts such special status in its trade deal with Japan.
But in the final UK-EU deal, no such ‘third country accumulation,’ as it is formally known, was agreed.
“That’s a big loss for the UK,” he said in a call with British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) members on Tuesday. “That’s going to impact on trade flows in future, and the way supply chains are organised.”
It makes trade “more difficult for carmakers,” he told Yahoo Finance UK after the call, though the impact will vary according to their supply chains.
Such rules and potential tariffs affect both UK consumers buying from EU car or other goods manufacturers, and UK carmakers exporting to the EU.
A Ford spokesman told Autocar last week that hikes in the cost of several of its Fiesta and Puma models were “all to do with Brexit pricing.”
The cost of a Fiesta ST-3 rose by £1,695 between December and January, according to the industry publication.
The spokesman said it was because some engine parts were from the US. Both models were therefore reported to be hit by UK tariffs, as they exceeded the allowed proportion of non-European components.
Some UK carmakers’ ranges are also at risk of EU tariffs, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders (SMMT). It said last month the deal did not deliver on “key asks,” including allowing carmakers to use common supply countries, such as Japan, Korea and Turkey, without raising their exposure to tariffs.
“Some members were disappointed,” chief executive Mike Hawes told Autocar on Tuesday. He said securing better deals with such common supply countries had been a “big ask” by Britain, however.
Another trade expert on the industry call, Dr Anna Jerzewska, of consultancy Trade and Borders, agreed. "It was always unlikely for the EU to agree to such type of cumulation with the UK," she told Yahoo Finance UK.
Under the UK-EU deal, 55% of the average car’s parts will have to come from the UK or the EU to avoid tariffs, according to Gasiorek.
He gave the example of a carmaker which sourced around a third of their parts from Britain, and a third from Korea. It would face tariffs of 10% under the agreement.
If Britain had secured a deal allowing Korean parts to count as effectively ‘domestic’ parts, “the car could be exported duty-free.”
https://uk.yahoo.com/finance/news/car-tariff-costs-brexit-accumulation-rules-origin-expert-warning-000156741.html
While the UK government had been warning of some disruption to trade as the new UK-EU relationship began at the beginning of 2021, some of the consequences seem to have taken people by surprise.
Here are five of the outcomes that have been in the news so far this year.
1. Ham sandwiches confiscated
UK lorry drivers filmed at the Dutch border appeared surprised to have had their sandwiches confiscated.
They had just disembarked from a ferry to the Hook of Holland.
Trade restrictions cover not only the items in the back of the lorry.
UK government guidance says: "Drivers travelling to the EU should be aware of additional restrictions to personal imports.
"You cannot bring POAO (products of an animal origin) such as those containing meat or dairy (eg a ham-and-cheese sandwich) into the EU."
2. Deliveries to Northern Ireland suspended
There has been confusion about customs declarations on parcels going from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, with some retailers, such as John Lewis, suspending deliveries.
"There is significant cause for concern from both businesses and consumers," Northern Ireland Economy Minister Diane Dodds wrote in a letter to the UK government.
Goods going from Great Britain to Northern Ireland - which are deemed to be at risk of ending up in the Republic of Ireland - may have to pay a tariff.
And either way, a customs declaration may be needed to say what the final destination is.
On New Year's Eve, the UK government announced a grace period that meant parcels valued at less than £135, going from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, would not need customs declarations until at least April.
But there still seems to be confusion among some retailers.
3. Tariffs charged on Ghana bananas
While the UK government managed to roll over most of the third-country trade deals it had as part of the EU, that did not include Ghana's.
Labour MP Gareth Thomas told the Commons on Monday: "The government's dismal treatment of Ghana - a key Commonwealth ally - is particularly surprising," criticising the UK negotiators for turning up to talks late and poorly briefed, meaning no deal had been done.
He added the upshot of the failure to do a deal was cocoa, tuna and bananas arriving in the UK faced heavy tariffs (or import taxes), with that already having happened to two shipments.
Last week, the first of those shipments was mentioned in the House of Lords, after it emerged a tariff of £17,500 had been charged at Portsmouth on bananas from Ghana.
4. Cannabis oil prescriptions not recognised
Parents of children with severe epilepsy said they had no longer been able to cash their prescriptions for a particular medicinal cannabis oil from the Netherlands.
Bedrocan oils used to be dispensed in the Netherlands against UK prescriptions.
But Hannah Deacon, whose campaign to have the oil prescribed for her son, Alfie Dingley, helped bring about the legalisation of medicinal cannabis in the UK, told BBC News her prescription was now "not recognised" by the Dutch authorities.
The health secretary told BBC News he was working with the Dutch government and the Home Office to find a solution.
But Ms Deacon criticised the UK government for not having engaged with the Dutch earlier.
5. Scottish seafood held up at borders
Scottish seafood exporters say their shipments to the EU are being held up by red tape in both Scotland and France.
The Scottish Seafood Association said the delays were due to the need to check entire trailers rather than just samples.
Lorries had been backlogged in Boulogne, it said.
And the situation was likely to worsen as traffic increased.
Delays in Scotland, meanwhile, are due to the time it takes to secure an export-health certificate for both wild and farmed salmon.
The UK government said it was aware of "a small number of issues... due to some information not being entered correctly into UK and French systems".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/55633632
The UK-EU trade agreement, which contains new rules for living, working and trading together, takes effect from 23:00 GMT on 31 December.
The full complicated agreement is more than 1,200 pages long, but here are some of the key points.
FISHING
What the deal says:
Over the next five-and-a-half years, the UK will gradually gain a greater share of the fish from its own waters.
The UK could choose to ban EU fishing boats from 2026, but the EU would be allowed to introduce taxes on British fish in response.
What does that mean?
Fishing was the hardest and last issue to be resolved in the negotiation, and some UK fishermen are unhappy with the arrangement. The Scottish Fishermen's Federation, for example, says the deal does not give the UK enough control of its waters.
Starting in 2026, the UK and the EU will hold regular talks on fishing access. So there could be more heated arguments ahead.
TRAVEL
What the deal says:
UK nationals will need a visa for stays of longer than 90 days in the EU in a 180-day period.
EU pet passports will no longer be valid.
European Health Insurance Cards, (EHIC) cards will remain valid until they expire.
The UK is no longer subject to the ban on additional roaming charges, although both sides will encourage operators to have "transparent and reasonable rates" for roaming.
What does that mean?
The UK government says EHIC will be replaced with a new UK Global Health Insurance Card, but full details have not been released yet.
Pets will still be allowed in the EU, but it will be a more complicated process as owners will need to obtain an animal health certificate for each trip they make.
UK mobile operators will be able to charge for roaming, so people should check with their mobile phone company before travelling.
SERVICES AND QUALIFICATIONS
What the deal says:
Businesses offering services, such as banking, architecture and accounting, will lose their automatic right of access to EU markets and will face some restrictions.
There will no longer be automatic recognition of professional qualifications for people such as doctors, chefs and architects.
What does that mean?
Rather than following one set of rules for the whole of the EU, UK businesses will need to comply with the regulations in each individual country.
It will be harder for people with qualifications gained in the UK to sell their services in the EU. Individuals will need to check each country's rules to make sure their qualification is still recognised.
However, the UK and EU have pledged to keep talking to try to improve access for the service sector in the future.
EUROPEAN COURT OF JUSTICE AND OTHER DISPUTES
What the deal says:
There will be no role in the UK for the European Court of Justice (ECJ), which is the highest court in the EU.
Disputes that cannot be resolved between the UK and the EU will be referred to an independent tribunal instead.
What does that mean?
Ending the role of the ECJ was a key UK demand as Brexit supporters said it would allow the UK to "take back control" of its laws.
The ECJ could still have a role in Northern Ireland because it continues to follow some EU trade rules.
If either side moves too far away from the current rules around product standards, tariffs (charges on imports) could be imposed on some goods in the future
SECURITY AND DATA
What the deal says:
The UK will no longer have automatic access to key security databases, but should be able to gain access upon request.
The UK will not be a member of the EU's law enforcement agency, Europol, but it will have a presence at its headquarters.
The UK is no longer obliged to comply with EU standards of data protection, but data will continue to be exchanged in the same way for at least four months as long as the UK doesn't change its data protection rules.
What does that mean?
The UK's arrangement with Europol will be similar to the one the US currently has.
Many of the rules about storing and processing data still need be decided.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/explainers-55180293
Ministers will be able to approve the import of animal and agricultural products of a lower standard than currently permitted in the UK, after attempts to amend the trade bill failed.
The government has repeatedly vowed not to allow the import of chlorinated chicken and hormone-treated beef, but has refused to sign those pledges into law.
The House of Lords put forward amendments to the trade bill that would have required future trade agreements to be scrutinised by parliament, with a view to ensuring standards are retained, but the key amendment fell on Tuesday night by 353 votes to 277.
Campaigners said the new post-Brexit arrangements for food imports and food production standards in the UK would allow ministers to make sweeping changes to existing food safety regulations without consultation.
Many products could be affected. For instance, while the government has said it will not allow chlorinated chicken, meat can be washed in a variety of other substances that have similar effects: peracetic acid, cetylpyridinium chloride, acidified sodium chlorite, or organic acid rinses.
Chicken treated with bleach and similar substances can retain some pathogens, according to research, and campaigners also fear that such treatment is used to disguise infections caused by animals being kept in poor conditions that would be illegal in this country.
In the debate, the government sought to reassure MPs that there were sufficient safeguards to ensure the UK’s standards were kept high.
However, there was disagreement. Jonathan Djanogly, one of a small number of Conservative MPs who voted against the government, said: “Ministers suggest that a pre-signature vote [on a trade deal] would make them look less decisive and weaken their hand, but I would suggest that the opposite is actually the case. In the US, negotiations are often strengthened by the executive suggesting that Congress won’t accept such-and-such a proposal.”
He added: “The power of approval that was given to MEPs now needs to come back here to parliament, not to be forgotten by ministers. Having proper scrutiny votes will go towards establishing the UK as a modern, democratic, confident, international trading nation, and we should be embracing that.”
Campaigners pointed to loopholes in the government’s regulations that mean food standards can be altered without consultation or fanfare. They said the rules would make it difficult to even find out whether standards had been lowered.
https://uk.yahoo.com/news/uk-ministers-gain-power-allow-200610245.html
Roger Daltrey has put his name to a letter calling for visa-free travel in Europe for musicians, despite being a vocal Brexiteer.
The Who singer is one of a number of artists signing the letter in the wake of the government's Brexit deal not including visa-free travel for musicians.
Sir Elton John, Brian May and Liam Gallagher are among the other stars to sign, however, 76-year-old Daltrey has been singled out for hypocrisy after he publicly backed leaving the European Union.
The Tommy star also previously questioned what impact Brexit would have on the music industry.
Jake Humphrey 💙
@mrjakehumphrey
Roger Daltrey has signed a letter demanding action from UK govt to ensure visa-free touring in the EU.
Life comes at you fast...
In a 2019 interview with Sky News, he remarked: "What's it got to do with the rock business?"
After the reporter questioned how he would tour in Europe, Daltrey scoffed: "Oh dear. As if we didn't tour in Europe before the f***ing EU. Oh give it up!"
Presenter Jake Humphrey noted that "life comes at you fast" as he shared a clip of the interview to his Twitter page.
Humphrey's sentiments appeared to be shared by other Twitter users, including one who commented: "Good to see Roger Daltrey has signed this letter about how the #BrexitShambles will destroy Britain's massive music exports, particularly since he supported, er, the #Brexit that has delivered this wreckage. Peak everything."
"Poor old Roger Daltrey singing ‘won't get fooled again’ for fifty years before getting totally mugged off by Brexit," another added.
"'I never thought they'd eat MY face,' sobs Roger Daltrey, who campaigned to allow Leopards to Eat Peoples' Faces," a third jibed.
The letter to the government states there is a “gaping hole where the promised free movement for musicians should be” and argues the cost of work permits makes ‘many tours unviable, especially for young emerging musicians who are already struggling to keep their heads above water owing to the Covid ban on live music’.”
https://uk.yahoo.com/news/roger-daltrey-hypocrite-brexit-deal-touring-letter-170624210.html
Tailbacks stretching for miles are expected if drivers aren't equipped with the correct customs paperwork or negative covid tests which the French demand (pictured: queues at Dover last week, main; Boris Johnson leaving Downing Street on Wednesday, top right; and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, bottom right). But Brussels says it won't grease the wheels unless Boris Johnson abandons his plans for a 'Singapore on the Thames.' An EU diplomat said: 'Of course we can in future discuss how to have less friction. Discussing further facilitation or ways to reduce friction would depend on what the UK is doing and where they want to go. Initiating that conversation and negotiation will not be made easier if the other side of the table is talking up deregulation or Singapore on the Thames.'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9170335/Government-warns-worsening-chaos-Britains-ports-lorry-traffic-returns-normal-levels.html
Northern Ireland Secretary says flow of goods linked to EU has been good
Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis has said any empty shelves in the North are due to coronavirus issues and not because of Brexit.
He told Sky News: “The flow of food and goods linked to the EU and the Northern Ireland Protocol has been good actually.
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/empty-shelves-in-the-north-are-because-of-covid-not-brexit-says-lewis-1.4462081
Brexit news - live: Food shortages are due to leaving EU, UK admits amid diplomatic row over bloc’s status
The international trade secretary, Liz Truss, has admitted Brexit led to food shortages in Northern Ireland after weeks of disruption.
Her Cabinet colleague Brandon Lewis, the Northern Ireland secretary, had argued that the coronavirus crisis, not the end of the transition period, was solely to blame for the shortages before Ms Truss contradicted him, blaming “both of those issues”.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/brexit-news-live-food-shortages-are-due-to-leaving-eu-uk-admits-amid-diplomatic-row-over-bloc-s-status/ar-BB1cX6kh?ocid=msedgntp
"I had no idea at all I was going to be charged any more for deliveries after Brexit. The extra costs were definitely a bit of a shock."
Ellie Huddleston, a 26-year-old Londoner, thought she would treat herself to some new work clothes in the January sales.
Having spotted a bargain, she placed an order for a coat and a number of blouses from two of her favourite clothes brands based in Europe.
But both deliveries were delayed, held up in customs checks for at least a week, she says.
She was surprised when she then received a text from courier company DPD, containing a link asking her to pay £58 in customs duties, VAT and additional charges for her £180 order.
On top of that, the UPS courier for the second parcel showed up at her door several days later, asking for an extra payment of £82 for her £200 coat.
These charges, imposed by new government rules, have to be collected by the courier firms on the authorities' behalf.
"I didn't even know when the parcels would be coming - so I sent both back without paying the extra fees and won't be ordering anything from Europe again any time soon," Ellie says.
Post-Brexit charges
When the UK was part of the European Union's customs union, goods could move freely between the country and other member states without import taxes being charged.
But Ellie was one of the shoppers caught unaware of the fact that those rules have changed since the UK's official exit.
EU retailers sending packages to the UK now need to fill out customs declaration forms. Shoppers may also have to pay customs or VAT charges, depending on the value of the product and where it came from.
However, these are the responsibility of the customer, not the retailer, who often has no idea of how much the eventual extra cost might be.
They cannot be paid in advance and are levied only when the item reaches the UK.
Another unhappy customer, Graeme from Manchester, paid £300 to buy two pairs of suede winter boots from a German firm online.
"You couldn't get them anywhere in the UK, so I had no choice but to order them from Europe," he told the BBC.
The next thing he knew, courier UPS had sent him a text message saying he had to pay £147 extra before the boots could be delivered. He paid up, but is still waiting for the goods to arrive.
"It was virtually impossible to find out what the charges would be beforehand," he says, "so I had to take a shot in the dark.
"I didn't imagine that it would be half as much again."
Under the new rules, anyone in the UK receiving a gift from the EU worth more than £39 may now face a bill for import VAT - with many items charged at 20%.
For goods costing more than £135, customs duties may also apply, which can range from 0% to 25% of the product you're buying if they have not been paid by the sender already.
The extra charges are usually collected by the courier on behalf of the government, with customers asked to pay before they can pick up their package.
Some specialist European retailers, such as bicycle part firm Dutch Bike Bits and Belgium-based Beer On Web, recently said that they would stop all deliveries to the UK because of the VAT changes, which came into force on 1 January.
Some firms have started charging additional "handling fees" to shoppers to cover costs associated with extra customs checks and paperwork that must be filled out.
Royal Mail, for example, is charging an £8 fee it says "reflects the cost of clearing items through customs and presenting them to Border Force".
Meanwhile, delivery firm DHL says it is charging UK customers 2.5% of the amount paid to clear customs, with a minimum charge of £11.
Mail and freight company TNT is also adding £4.31 on all shipments from the UK to the EU and vice versa. It has said this reflects the increased investment it has had to make in adjusting its systems to cope with Brexit.
A spokeswoman for Logistics UK told the BBC that the handling fees were "a commercial decision by individual businesses".
But Michelle Dale, senior manager at accountants UHY Hacker Young, said that new charges could present a major problem for firms in the coming weeks.
"I think what we'll find is that a lot of trade with the EU from a business-to-customer perspective will come to a stop until some of these rules are eased," she said.
Your rights and disputes
UK consumers' rights when buying online, or receiving gifts, from the EU are now more complicated and could lead to disputes. VAT, customs duties and handling fees may all need to be paid. They could be applied before delivery. Many people may find they need to visit the post office to pay all the relevant charges before the item is released
Under the Consumer Rights Act, online shoppers have 14 days to return an unwanted item, but they may find it costs them money to send it back
Disputes are likely to arise if buyers think the extra charges are a "hidden cost" that they were unaware of, and feel they should not pay. Now the UK has left the EU, this dispute can no longer be settled in UK courts. It falls under the jurisdiction of the country where the seller is located
To avoid losing UK consumers' trade, some overseas sellers in other parts of the world have introduced a rebate scheme to refund some of the charges post-delivery
Meanwhile, any parcels or gifts sent from England, Wales or Scotland to the EU must have one of a variety of customs forms stuck to it
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A government spokesperson said: "The new VAT model ensures goods from EU and non-EU countries are treated in the same way and that UK businesses are not disadvantaged by competition from VAT-free imports.
"The new system also addresses the problem of overseas sellers failing to pay the right amount of VAT when they sell goods in the UK. We anticipate this will bring in £300m in tax every year, to fund essential UK public services."
There is speculation the rules may change, but until they do, Ellie says she won't be buying from European firms.
"With all that uncertainty around things and whether or not these charges might change, I'd rather just avoid the hassle," she says.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-55734277
They never seem to be able to deliver mine correctly.
No more corrupt EU tricks. All cons will be carried out by our own Government, ably "assisted" by the devolved Governments
Will look forward with interest as to how we will continue to try and blame the EU from here on...
I hope so anyway.