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Get ready for no-deal, says Johnson

[ October 16, 2020   //   ]

A deal is vital for the transport and logistics industry and for the whole economy, said Logistics UK in response to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s statement that the UK should prepare itself for a no-deal Brexit. “To keep Britain trading, trucks must keep going through the borders with the least possible friction; a deal with the EU is vital to achieve this and to enable the sector to focus on maintaining its resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic and investing to improve performance,” it added.

In Ireland, FTA Ireland general manager Aidan Flynn, said: “With less than 80 days to go until the end of the Brexit transition period, hope that a deal can be struck between the EU and the UK is fading fast.” He urged Irish logistics companies to ramp up their No Deal Brexit preparations in case this becomes a reality. However: “Leaving the EU without a free trade deal would be the worst possible outcome for the free movement of goods between the EU and the UK; it would have implications for the accessibility of traders between the two blocks. A trade deal is needed to ensure that the connectivity and accessibility to markets is maintained. Both parties need to work over the coming weeks to ensure that this accessibility is maintained.”

John Perry, managing director at supply chain consultancy SCALA, said however that the industgry still did not know whether Boris Johnson’s statement was “a genuine warning to prepare, or a final negotiation tactic to secure a deal at the eleventh hour.”

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