Hauliers hit out at ‘incoherent’ HMRC amid Brexit discussions

HMRC needs “a bomb up their arse” after months of “incoherent” communication to traders ahead of Brexit, hauliers have said.

The statement comes after Cabinet ministers met organisations including the Road Haulage Association (RHA) in Dover to discuss preparations for Brexit at the border.

Duncan Buchanan, policy director for the RHA in England and Wales, was among those who met Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove, Home Secretary Priti Patel and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps at the Port of Dover.

He said the ministers wanted to hear about the challenges and problems faced by those represented at the meeting.

Mr Buchanan told PA: “We were really clear. I personally raised the issues of unclear, incoherent communication from HMRC and other parts of Government.

“I pointed out that there is no definition of what is ‘border ready’, so a lorry that comes here that’s supposed to be border ready and supposed to have all of its paperwork in order – how can it have its paperwork in order when the people at the exporters and the people who are doing the logistics don’t have any definition of what is required to actually transit the border?”

Mr Buchanan said the ministers talked about “taking action” to address the problems.

He said: “What we have to do now is we have to wait and see what happens. “What we need is decisive, clear action.”

Mr Buchanan added: “Really what I wanted was a clear understanding at the highest possible level that these things need to be done because it needs to transmit down through the civil service that what is out there at the moment is not good enough.

“And quite frankly, HMRC in particular, need a bomb up their arse to really start thinking about the complete and total absence of coherent information that traders can use.”