Cut red tape to make trade easier in post-Brexit Britain
BRITISH businesses could find it easier to export and import goods after Brexit if the Government begins designing new systems now, research revealed yesterday.
The Leave Means Leave campaign group said its analysis destroyed the “myth” that leaving the EU will see lines of freight lorries queueing at borders once Britain is out of the free trade Single Market and customs union
Co-chairman John Longworth, former head of the British Chambers of Commerce, said his “blueprint for frictionless trade” could avoid future problems and streamline existing procedures to help British firms trade around the world.
Robust
He urged the Government to start work quickly on getting the right procedures in place to ensure trade continues smoothly after Britain’s expected departure from the EU in spring 2019.
Mr Longworth’s report found: “The fact that the UK has robust and longstanding systems in place for aspects such as export documentation, as well as the opportunity to streamline customs procedures on our own terms, means the UK Government can immediately implement several procedures to facilitate our trade with the EU and the rest of the world.”
Customs clearance procedures, both within the UK and at the border with other countries, were of “critical importance” to businesses, and an issue many were “far more concerned about than any potential future tariffs with the EU,” he said.
“The UK should not be daunted by the measure of the task ahead, as the measures outlined in this paper would go a long way towards not only addressing immediate challenges, but also facilitating more effective trade in the future,” he added.
Mr Longworth said technology will be key by creating “virtual borders” using, for example, number plate scanning to allow electronic customs registration before trucks cross frontiers.
He also recommends giving more businesses abroad powers to complete self-assessment reports on import duties to speed up the declaration process and allowing bodies such as the Chambers of Commerce to oversee the “trusted trader” accreditation process.
The report coincided with a new poll showing public support for Brexit has hit a five-month high, with 55 per cent of people now in favour of leaving the EU.
For the third month in a row, more than half – 55 per cent – also approved of how the Government is handling the Brexit process, said pollster Orb International.
AREPORT claims that British companies could find it easier to export and import after Brexit provided the Government begins work speedily on ensuring that the right machinery is in place for “frictionless trade”. This will mean streamlined customs clearance procedures, which can be assisted by digital technology.
This all sounds like an enormously complicated task but the aim must be to make things simpler and to ensure that Britain is still on good terms with the EU countries which we will go on trading with.
One of the long-held objections to leaving the EU, constantly repeated by Remainers, is that our entanglement with Brussels is so labyrinthine that it is impossible to extricate ourselves. This is defeatist nonsense. But it is true that the EU project has developed into a monster that feeds on its own complexity.
What is essential is that the Government takes on board this report from the Leave Means Leave campaign and gets to work immediately in shaping the way our new “frictionless trade” can operate.
This is crucial for big and small firms alike and with a proper system in place all businesses can look forward with confidence to the moment when we make the break from Brussels.