Archives



Business, Forwarding, Freight News


Don’t get complacent over Brexit, warns Tudor boss

[ September 10, 2019   //   ]

Leeds-based Tudor International Freight boss Adam Johnson is warning traders not to drop their guard over preparations for a no-deal Brexit despite  despite apparent setbacks to the government’s plans in the past few days.

He says that businesses should maintain their contingency planning for a no-deal Brexit, time-consuming and expensive though these could be.

He said: “Even in the absence of a General Election, a UK departure without a withdrawal agreement could still occur as early as 31 October, as any application for an extension has to be approved by all 27 other EU member states, which is not a certain outcome.

“It’s also true that, even if this deferral is forthcoming, a future no-deal Brexit remains the legal default result, which will take effect unless an alternative arrangement replaces it, and the Commons has repeatedly, over an extended period, failed to agree on what this more positive outcome should be.”

He did however welcome the limited preparations for a cliff-edge departure in the last few weeks including plans to spend £30m on improvements to port infrastructure, plus road and rail connections and an extra £20m for combatting traffic jams in Kent.

“The government has also decided to allocate Economic Registration and Identification numbers, which are mandatory for outside companies buying from or selling to EU businesses, to around 89,000 VAT-registered UK enterprises automatically.”

He also welcomed the Department of Transport ‘s newly announced information campaign, aimed at ensuring businesses and their freight forwarders are aware of the processes and paperwork that would apply to customs and border crossings in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

“However, the fact is UK businesses are still largely unaware of the relevant procedures and documentation, which are vital matters. With less than 40 working days until our possible EU departure, they may therefore have precious little time for purposes such as understanding and staff training, which might well exacerbate the widely-predicted traffic chaos at ports.”

 

 

Tags: