GET READY! £93M BLITZ KICKSTARTS BRITAIN’S EU EXIT
Gove: Businesses and public must prepare NOW for Brexit
A HUGE £93million publicity blitz galvanising the UK to get ready for Brexit is launched by ministers today.
Mastermind Michael Gove’s “Let’s Get Going” campaign
across TV, radio, newspapers and social media will tell businesses and households to prepare for when we leave the EU Customs Union and Single Market on December 31.
The upbeat message about the coming freedom from Brussels features a new “Check, Change, Go” logo to raise awareness of the new border rules and to help holidaymakers.
Ministers have earmarked a budget of up to £93million for the Cabinet Office-led “new start” blitz.
It comes as a survey reveals that only a quarter of company directors believe their firms are ready for the exit from the Customs Union.
Mr Gove, the Cabinet minister in charge of preparations for transition, said: “At the end of this year we are leaving the Single Market and Customs Union regardless of the type of agreement we reach with the EU. This will bring changes and significant opportunities for which we all need to prepare.
“While we have already made great progress in getting ready for this moment, there are actions that businesses and citizens must take now to ensure we are ready to hit the ground running as a fully independent UK.
“This is a new start for everyone in the UK, British and European citizens alike, so let’s get going.”
Potential
Advertising for the campaign, dubbed “The UK’s New Start – Let’s Get Going”, begins from 7am today.
It will direct people and businesses to the web page gov.uk/transition, which has a checker tool to identify the necessary steps they need to take to prepare for the new border regime.
A team of telephone advisers will also offer businesses advice. The campaign will also target UK citizens intending to travel to Europe from January 1 to point out new border arrangements. Information is there too for expats in the EU.
Britons planning to visit EU countries next year will need comprehensive travel insurance and a valid passport. They will also be advised to check their mobile phone provider’s roaming policy.
Anyone planning to visit an EU country with a pet will have to visit a vet at least four months before travel.
Import and export firms will need to get a new Economic Operators Registration and Identification number and register with the relevant customs authorities.
The campaign will highlight the benefits of Brexit including the potential for free trade deals, less regulation and the country taking back control of its fishing waters.
Mr Gove also confirmed yesterday that the Government will spend an extra £700million on new border infrastructure at ports and airports to prepare for the new customs regime.
A survey of 978 bosses for the Institute of Directors shows only one in four firms are “fully prepared” for the country leaving the EU.
IT WAS feared that Brexit was sliding off the Government’s radar. Some people thought the December 31 deadline for our final escape from the EU stranglehold was unrealistic and unworkable, given the ongoing coronavirus crisis that has consumed ministers and brought the country to a standstill.
But, now, thank goodness, we are back on track and raring to go.
We even have a new slogan. Just as “Let’s get Brexit done” worked at the general election, we hope “Let’s get going” will prove successful in the next few months.
It helps that a budget of up to £93million has been earmarked for the “new start” blitz, supported by advertising and the dissemination of information so that businesses can be on the front foot and ready for the new, new normal.
We like the positivity of the campaign, which starts at 7am today, and we hope that even die-hard Remainers will swing behind the historic decision taken by the British electorate back in 2016.