Brexit import controls put back to 2022

NEW import controls on some EU goods will be delayed because of disruption caused by coronavirus, Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove has said.

The customs requirements were due to be phased in over six months but an extension has been agreed after firms asked for more time to prepare.

Full border control processes will now be introduced on January 1, 2022 – six months later than originally planned.

It could leave Britain vulnerable to tax evasion and comes as the EU prepares to bring in extra regulations that will increase red tape for UK exporters.

Mr Gove told MPs disruption caused by Covid has ‘lasted longer and has been deeper than we anticipated’.

He added: ‘Although we recognise that many in the border industry and many businesses have been investing time and energy to be ready in time, businesses have made a strong case that they need more time to prepare.’ Andrew Opie, of the British Retail Consortium, said he was ‘pleased that the government has listened to us and postponed border checks until the systems and border posts are ready’.

It came as Germany revealed that imports from the UK fell by 56 per cent in January compared with the same month a year earlier, while UK exports to France have dropped 20 per cent on the previous six months.

Meanwhile, confidence in the UK’s prospects has risen since Brexit among international business leaders, who have placed it fourth in the world for investment opportunities. Britain has overtaken India and lies behind only the US, China and Germany, according to an annual survey by PwC of more than 5,000 multinational bosses across 100 countries.