Coronavirus + Brexit = major recipe for disruption, business chiefs warn.
Something will have to give.
Thread 1/
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Something will have to give.
Thread 1/
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Before the virus, industry was already very worried the economy wouldn’t be ready for the realities of Brexit.
A strict border policy with the EU, requiring new paperwork and red tape, for which many businesses are still ill-prepared 2/
bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
A strict border policy with the EU, requiring new paperwork and red tape, for which many businesses are still ill-prepared 2/
bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
Add in coronavirus and the disruption would be doubled, says @ColdChainShane, head of the industry group for frozen goods vehicles.
Autumn/winter is likely to see another wave of the disease, laying off workers and sapping capacity at the very moment it’s needed most 3/
Autumn/winter is likely to see another wave of the disease, laying off workers and sapping capacity at the very moment it’s needed most 3/
Take warehouses. If workers are having to self-isolate, who’ll be on hand to process stockpiled goods? The supply chain challenge of Brexit would be amplified, Brennan says 4/
And there’s cash.
Small firms suffering demand collapse due to virus will be less able to spend on Brexit prep e.g. hiring customs agent, setting up new IT system adapted to UK-EU trade.
@The_IoD and @britishchambers both criticized Sunak for lack of Brexit help in Budget 5/
Small firms suffering demand collapse due to virus will be less able to spend on Brexit prep e.g. hiring customs agent, setting up new IT system adapted to UK-EU trade.
@The_IoD and @britishchambers both criticized Sunak for lack of Brexit help in Budget 5/
It’s also a simple issue of priority.
The virus is a more pressing and urgent problem, so Brexit planning has slipped down the agenda.
`They can’t focus on everything at the same time,’ says @BastidonPauline at the Freight Transport Association 6/
The virus is a more pressing and urgent problem, so Brexit planning has slipped down the agenda.
`They can’t focus on everything at the same time,’ says @BastidonPauline at the Freight Transport Association 6/
Together, these factors increase the risk of what gov wants to avoid most: border queues.
Traders being stopped by EU officials for lack of paperwork (customs forms, rules of origin docs, export health certificates), causing tailbacks at Dover-Calais etc. 7/
Traders being stopped by EU officials for lack of paperwork (customs forms, rules of origin docs, export health certificates), causing tailbacks at Dover-Calais etc. 7/
For its part, the British government is ruling out any Brexit delay due to coronavirus.
Even as the virus hits the negotiations, the U.K. is standing firm 8/
Even as the virus hits the negotiations, the U.K. is standing firm 8/
How sustainable is that position? As the impact of the virus worsens, expect the drum-beat for `delay’ from business to grow…
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