Thread by @pmdfoster

A third of businesses still believe the #Brexit transition period will be extended says @cabinetofficeuk perm sec - this has always been big issue with preps: however good they are, they must be communicated effectively to business /1

ft.com/content/7dedbc…

@cabinetofficeuk And the fact that a third of businesses still think there will be an extension just shows you how hard that is - some are just busy with #COVID19 others as Chisolm says just don't believe warnings any more after all the false starts/2

@cabinetofficeuk And as we've seen with trying to get industry to hire and train customs agents, the govt/whitehall can't operate in a vacuum.

No good just launching a £50m grant scheme without trying to understand industry views of risk & appetite to hire during #COVID19 times /3

@cabinetofficeuk Adam Marshall @BCCAdam of British Chambers always says that it takes a year for business to even hear of a new idea, a year to taken on board new requirements and then one or two more to implement and adjust. We have less than 100 days to #Brexit /4

@cabinetofficeuk @BCCAdam Of course Government does need to be ready itself to give biz a fighting chance...but with less than 100 days to go the exporting customs interface Goods Vehicle Movement System is still not rolled out! France had built & tested its "SI Brexit" ro-ro system by last year. /5

@cabinetofficeuk @BCCAdam The govt will do best to manage flows; show flex and it has given itself until July to make it happen for imports (and who would bet against further extensions) - note that many up-country inspection parks don't yet have planning permission! /6

@cabinetofficeuk @BCCAdam I am not actually a total doomster. There will be disruption, but not total chaos as suspect in a deal both sides will do quite a lot to make it work...In a 'no deal'?...well, all bets are off. Especially if @BorisJohnson puts those UKIM clauses into law. We need a deal. ENDS