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Closure powers should be last resort, say ports – updated

[ March 19, 2020   //   ]

The British Ports Association says that emergency powers the  new Emergency Bill allowing the Government to close ports and airports in the face of Border Force staff shortages should only be used sparingly and if there is real need.

Keeping the UK’s global gateways open for trade should be a priority, following publication of the Government’s new Emergency Bill. Ports facilitate 95% of the country’s trade and will be instrumental ensuring the country is fed and resourced in the coming weeks, it says.

The new Bill will enable the Home Secretary to temporarily close ports and airports if Border Force staff shortages result in a real and significant threat to the UK’s border security. This might only be used in extremis, and kept to the minimum period BPA also expects a sunset clause on these powers so that they expire once the pandemic is brought under control.

BPA chief executive Richard Ballantyne, said: Half of the UK’s food is imported and it will be critical to keep our ports open so that shops, public services, and businesses are supplied with what the country needs. The industry is generally very supportive of the Government’s measures to bring the pandemic under control and is working hard to keep goods moving. Also we would expect that proposed new powers to potentially close individual ports will only be used in the most extreme circumstances.”

Ports are currently open and facilitating imports of food, supplies and resources. It will be important that Government staff at the frontline look to support this effort as best they can, he added.

He added: “We have been speaking with our counterparts in Italy where the ports have remained open and we are learning from their experiences to keep our gateways operational.”

Tim Morris, chief executive of the UK Major Ports Group, said “Some types of trade – such as with Asia – have been disrupted for some weeks, although are likely to bounce back in the near term….many other types of trade are for now continuing at near normal levels.”

Morris added that the most important things the Government can do for the major ports sector at this are to recognise its critical role in essential supply chains, work directly or via banks to keep cash flowing to  supply chain partners and, with respect to the new Emergency Powers, ensure that Government Agencies are sufficiently staffed so that they don’t have to close down otherwise well-functioning ports.”

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