UK government has no time to lose over comprehensive EU trade deal, BRC

The BRC has launched a report entitled A Fair Deal for Consumers: EU Trade Roadmap. 

This calls for pragmatic solutions on future compliance and regulatory checks that will apply from January 2021. Without these, consumers will face higher costs and reduced availability of goods, the BRC argues.

“The issue is simple – higher tariffs and extensive checks will harm consumers, retailers, and the UK economy. The government must set about to negotiate a zero tariff agreement that minimises checks and red tape otherwise it will be consumers who suffer as a result,” says Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive at the British Retail Consortium.

“The introduction of excessive or avoidable checks would mean businesses face a mountain of paperwork to be filled out by an army of newly trained staff, coupled with exhaustive checks on thousands of lorries every day. And the result for consumers would be higher costs and reduced availability on the shelves.”

New IT systems will need to be created and tested before 1st January 2021, she adds. Border control posts must be built, with people hired and trained to run, unless these are ready and tested. “The government has no time to lose,” Dickinson concludes.

Sign up for our free retail technology newsletter here.