Thread by @AnnaJerzewska

To be absolutely honest, I'm actually a bit concerned.

I think this is a double-edged sword.

On one hand, businesses that have been struggling to get ready now have a bit more time to prepare. And that's great.

/1

https://twitter.com/AnnaJerzewska/status/1437701323764469760

On the other, as I told Sky News and @ChrisHorseman2 earlier today, constant delays and changing deadlines are creating a situation where it's getting harder and harder for businesses to keep track of what's changing and when.

/2

Meaning it's becoming really easy to miss something.

And we do have serious deadlines approaching. For example, Jan 2022 when customs controls will be introduced and full customs declarations will be due at the time of import.

/3

The risk is that with all the coverage of yet another set of Brexit extensions and delays companies will simply stop preparing for the upcoming changes.

Or that they will assume this deadline will also be postponed (which is actually quite possible).

/4

And all this is happening at a time when customs compliance is at an all-time low in the UK (fine, maybe not all-time, maybe just the last couple of decades).

Companies are confused. HMRC is losing revenue.

/5

And on top of all that, I still don't think enough is being done to support companies in preparing for these changes.

The guidance is still hard to navigate and not quite user-friendly.

/6

So further delays, supposedly because businesses aren't ready (Gov claims they're on track although that doesn't quite seem to be the case 👇) - what will a couple of extra months change?

/7

independent.co.uk/news/business/…

We know that the Gov still thinks the EU will blink on SPS but even then some of the delayed formalities and checks will need to be implemented (also that's not a likely outcome).

/8

What's missing for me, what's been missing from mid-2020, is an outline of how the Gov is going to use the extra few months to provide additional support to companies struggling to get ready for the upcoming changes.

/9

We had the SMEs grant. That was great.
But we need better guidance, better training sessions (been to a couple of these Gov webinars and they are not particularly in-depth, and all technical questions are met with - let me run this by an internal team and get back to you).

/10

Yes, companies need to do their part. At the end of the day, it's their responsibility to get ready.

But how do you convince companies to act when there is no stick and no carrot?

/11

Basically, it's hard to treat this last-minute extension as something more than yet another Brexit delay.

I hope companies will continue to prepare. Those that haven't will start to think about upcoming deadlines (even if they are likely to change too).

/end