The Brexit Thread

[China]

Fuel crisis: Emergency visa scheme attracts just 27 tanker drivers from EU, report says

 

Ministers have been told that just 27 fuel tanker drivers have applied to work in the UK from the EU through the government’s emergency visa scheme which is designed to fix the country’s petrol shortages, according to a report.

 

The Times has reported that there has been little interest in the visas available for HGV drivers in the fuel industry, raising questions over how many people will actually come to the UK to fill vacancies.

 

Earlier this week, the government announced that 300 fuel drivers would be allowed to come to the UK from overseas “immediately” and stay until March, while a further 4,700 visas for foreign food truck drivers will be allowed from later this month until the end of February.

 

There are now concerns among ministers that the failure to recruit drivers will lead to further delays in restocking service stations and to the government having to rely on the army for assistance for longer, according to The Times.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Boris Johnson to brush off petrol queues as ‘change of direction’

 

Boris Johnson will brush off petrol queues and empty shelves as evidence of a “change of direction” towards a high-wage economy on Wednesday, as he closes a Conservative conference at which supply shortages have barely been acknowledged.

 

The prime minister channelled Margaret Thatcher on Tuesday to insist “there is no alternative” but to press ahead with the post-Brexit transition to a labour market less reliant on immigration.

 

Asked whether the UK was facing a crisis, Johnson said “no”. “It’s not the job of government to come in and try and fix every problem in business and industry,” he said.

 

Despite warnings from business groups of rising prices and continued shortages of key products in the run-up to Christmas, he will tell the party faithful in Manchester that a bright future lies ahead.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Intel not considering UK chip factory after Brexit

 

The boss of Intel says the US chipmaker is no longer considering building a factory in the UK because of Brexit.

 

Pat Gelsinger told the BBC that before the UK left the EU, the country "would have been a site that we would have considered".

 

But he added: "Post-Brexit... we're looking at EU countries and getting support from the EU".

 

Intel wants to boost its output amid a global chip shortage that has hit the supply of cars and other goods.

 

The firm - which is one of the world's largest makers of semiconductors - says the crisis has shown that the US and Europe are too reliant on Asia for its chip-making needs.

 

Intel is investing up to $95bn (£70bn) on opening and upgrading semiconductor plants in Europe over the next 10 years, as well as boosting its US output.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

It's all going 'tits-up' at UK box ports and, despite what Boris says, we can't fix it

 

The UK’s main container ports are overwhelmed with unclaimed imports and starting to refuse the restitution of empty boxes urgently needed back in Asia.

 

And other North European ports are also heavily congested, but the acute HGV driver shortage in the UK has extended container dwell times significantly in past weeks, with the country’s main box hubs now “in danger of grinding to a complete halt”, according to one industry observer.

 

Yesterday, Felixstowe suspended the restitution of Evergreen, Maersk and CMA CGM empty returns.

 

Other carriers are also expected to be restricted by the port, but there is no indication as yet that there could be a blanket stop on receiving empty equipment, or that export deliveries could be halted.

 

In a customer advisory, Evergreen says the block on the return of its empties at Felixstowe was “due to the large volume of import containers coming into the port” against the backdrop of “a well-publicised national driver shortage”.

 

It added: “Import container dwell times are increasing as a result and causing port congestion.”

 

Click on the link for the full article

[The Sisko]

 

[China]

Overseas abattoir workers to get temporary visas

 

The government is to allow 800 foreign abattoir workers into the UK on temporary visas, after warnings from farmers of mass culls.

 

It previously said businesses should pay higher wages and invest in skills.

 

The shortage of butchers has already seen farmers destroy 6,600 healthy pigs due to a backlog on farms, the National Pig Association (NPA) said.

 

The government also announced plans to allow thousands more HGV deliveries to address a chronic driver shortage.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

EU Mulls Terminating Brexit Trade Deal If U.K. Rift Deepens

 

The European Union could weigh terminating the post-Brexit trade deal if the U.K. government pulls out of its commitments over Northern Ireland, according to people familiar with the matter.

 

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has threatened to unilaterally suspend parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol, which governs trade between the province and the rest of the U.K., using the powers granted in Article 16 of the pact. European officials have been discussing the need to prepare a powerful response.

 

Shutting down the trade accord sealed on Christmas Eve last year would play havoc with a British economy already plagued by supply shortages, and would also impose costs on European businesses with clients in the U.K.

 

The pound fell as much as 0.4% to $1.3736 after the report. U.K. government bonds hit a session high, with the yield on 10-year gilts falling six basis points to 1.15%.

 

The decision would require the unanimous backing of all 27 EU governments and would lead to a cooling off period before tariffs, quotas and other barriers to trade between Britain and the EU kicked in. The EU could terminate the whole deal or target specific industries.

 

“For a long time we’ve been asked about Article 16 and if it was important for the pound. The answer had been ‘No’ as it was mostly political posturing and noise,” said Jordan Rochester, a currency strategist at Nomura. “But threatening to rip up the trade deal is an escalation of rhetoric and sterling should be lower as a result.”

 

Click on the link for the full article

 

[China]

Slippery business: Of fish, France and Britain

 

In terms of economic importance, fish are sprats; politically, they have the power of sharks.

 

France and Britain are siblings and neighbors who squabble frequently over their watery garden fence (when they are not sitting down to tea or champagne).

 

When those two certainties of European politics collide, you enter treacherous waters.

 

Will France reduce electricity supplies to the United Kingdom and Jersey, in a dispute over 125 fishing licenses for small boats?

 

Will French fishermen block the Channel Tunnel and the Port of Calais, deepening the British supply chain crisis, because they have been deprived of the right to cast their nets in a sliver of the sea, 6-miles wide?

 

The answers to these two questions are “maybe” and “quite possibly,” respectively.

 

This latest European fishing dispute is all the more perilous because it is enmeshed in a wider Anglo-European quarrel. Brussels is taking a patient, plodding approach to post-Brexit British provocations. Paris, less so.

 

The most recent Anglo-French fish fight is less surprising when you consider the political motivations both Paris and London have for keeping it going: French President Emmanuel Macron faces a tough and unpredictable election in six months’ time, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is looking for distractions and scapegoats as reality starts to contradict his cheerful bluster about a plucky, triumphant, stand-alone Brexit Britain.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

France detains UK boat as spat over fishing rights escalates

 

France has detained a British fishing vessel and announced it will close nearly all of its ports to trawlers from the UK, a major escalation in its ongoing spat with the country over post-Brexit fishing rights.

 

"Aside from a few exceptions, all French ports will no longer be accessible to British boats," France's European affairs minister, Clement Beaune, said in an interview on French TV station CNEWS, referring to vessels that offload fish and produce.

Some three or four ports would remain open to British fishing vessels when the closure comes into force on Tuesday, with the exact number decided in the week ahead, he said, adding: "There will be no tolerance, no indulgence."

Beaune also said that security checks begun on Wednesday night had intercepted two British vessels "that were not respecting the rules."

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Brexit: Government to launch study on economic benefits of reintroducing imperial units

 

The government is to launch a study of the economic benefits of reintroducing imperial units of measurement, to quantify a supposed advantage of Brexit.

 

Ministers provoked mockery from opposition politicians with the “ludicrous” move, which will be overseen by the business department this year.

 

In 2019, Boris Johnson pledged to usher in a new “era of generosity and tolerance towards traditional measurements” and suggested that measuring in pounds and ounces was “ancient liberty”.

 

This month he appointed Jacob Rees-Mogg as “minister for Brexit opportunities” in order to examine how Britain can benefit from leaving the EU.

 

Imperial-only labelling fell out of business use when Britain joined the European common market in the early 1970s, but some people who remember the esoteric counting system remain attached to it.

 

Click on the link for the full article

 

Yes, I'm sure everyone would like to go back to units like the twip, the rood, and the gill.

 

 

[Captain Wiggles]

 

[China]

Boris Johnson to reportedly bring back imperial measurements to mark platinum jubilee

 

Boris Johnson will reportedly announce the return of imperial measurements to mark the Queen’s platinum jubilee, in an apparent attempt to garner support among Brexiter voters in battleground seats that the Conservatives are in danger of losing.

 

Britain currently uses a mix of imperial and metric measurements, with speed limits in miles per hour and milk and beer bought in pints.

 

The prime minister, under increasing pressure after further damaging revelations in the Partygate scandal, is expected to announce next week that British shops will be allowed to sell products in pounds and ounces to coincide with celebrations for the monarch’s 70 years on the throne.

 

A Cabinet source told the Mirror: “As the British people have been happy to use both imperial and metric measurements in their daily life it is good for the government to reflect that now we are free to change our regulations accordingly.”

 

Since 1995, goods sold in Europe have had to display metric weights and measurements. And since 2000 when the EU’s weights and measures directive came into force, traders have been legally required to use metric units for the sale by weight or measure of fresh produce, which became a recurring issue for Eurosceptics about Brussels’ supposed interference in British life.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Captain Wiggles]

 

How many twips are there in a barleycorn? 🤔

[Cooked Crack]

 

 

[Barry.Randolphe]

Scotland is totally leaving  

 

Way to go, Brexiteers. You ruined the UK

[China]

 

[FrFan]

On 10/27/2021 at 3:45 AM, China said:

The answers to these two questions are “maybe” and “quite possibly,” respectively.

 

Answer to all questions will be what the french government usually does : bend over.  See submarines (USA, Australia and GB), Rafale (Netherlands and Germany), fishing, Mistral (Russia). Don't forget that the arrogant in charge is "pro business"

Edited July 25, 2022 by FrFan

[China]

‘Simply stupid’ to describe HGV plan as ‘Brexit bonus’

 

Plans to allow motorists to drive lorries without taking a test have been dubbed a “Brexit bonus” by the government.

 

Transport secretary Grant Shapps is set to launch a consultation on whether to lift the Brussels-imposed ban on motorists driving anything larger than a 3.5-ton vehicle.

 

It means motorists cannot drive vans and lorries up to 7.5 tons without taking further tests, or minibuses with up to 16 seats without restrictions.

 

Mr Shapps believes lifting the ban could increase the pool of commercial drivers, boosting job opportunities and the economy.

 

It could also help address shortages of HGV drivers because some may graduate to drive heavy goods vehicles.

 

EU rules enshrined in UK law bar any motorist with a full driving licence gained after Jan 1, 1997, from driving any vehicle over 3.5 tons without a further specialised test.

 

Mr Shapps is understood to believe there is a strong case for returning to pre-1997 rules, where anyone with a full licence could drive any vehicle up to 7.5 tons.

 

Responding to the news, Naomi Smith, CEO of internationalist campaign group Best for Britain said: “Driver shortages have been caused in part by Brexit so to describe this move as a ‘Brexit bonus’ is simply stupid.”

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Brexit onslaught deepens as a third of all UK exporters to EU vanish due to red tape knockout

 

The number of UK businesses exporting goods to the EU fell 33 per cent to 18,357 in 2021, from 27,321 in 2020, according to data from HMRC.

 

Discussing the figures with City A.M. today. Michelle Dale, a senior manager at accountancy firm UHY Hacker Young, pointed out the fall is due to the extra red tape UK businesses must now comply with when exporting to the EU.

 

“Businesses are not getting enough support from the Government to navigate the post-Brexit trading minefield,” she said.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

UK expected to be only major economy to shrink in 2023 - IMF

 

The UK economy will shrink and perform worse than other advanced economies, including Russia, as the cost of living continues to hit households, the International Monetary Fund has said.

 

The IMF said the economy will contract by 0.6% in 2023, rather than grow slightly as previously predicted.

 

However, the IMF also said that it thinks the UK is now "on the right track".

 

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said the UK outperformed many forecasts last year.

 

But shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said the figures showed the UK "lagging behind our peers".

 

The IMF, which works to stabilise economic growth, said it had downgraded its forecast for the UK because of its high energy prices, rising mortgage costs and increased taxes, as well as persistent worker shortages. It did not mention Brexit in its report as a factor for the UK not performing as well as others. Today marks three years since the UK left the EU.

 

The UK is expected be the only country to shrink next year across all the advanced and emerging economies. Even sanctions-hit Russia is now forecast to grow this year.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

‘Disaster’ is right: Brexit is a self-inflicted wound that cuts dangerously deep

 

Whenever Andrew Bailey, the governor of the Bank of England, talks about the economy, he is forced to mention the toll taken by Brexit.

 

Business leaders, initially reluctant to criticise the Tory decision to quit the EU, have begun to find their voice. Most recently, leading City figure Guy Hands called Brexit a “complete disaster” and a “bunch of total lies” that has harmed large parts of the economy.

 

Maybe, given the mounting evidence, it is unsurprising that business leaders, ministers and the shadow Labour team are meeting in secret to discuss how they can turn the situation around.

 

On Friday, the government was hit by the latest blow. AstraZeneca, the pharmaceutical firm lauded for providing its Covid-19 vaccine at cost to the UK and developing-world countries, said it would make Ireland the location of a new factory once destined to nestle near its existing UK manufacturing centres in north-west England. Before Brexit, the UK’s pharma industry benefited from £2bn of EU research funding. No longer.

 

In a report earlier this month, Bailey said the impact of leaving the EU’s single market and customs union was being felt more acutely on the UK’s trade than first estimated. As recently as November, the central bank believed some of the administrative hold-ups at the border and the unwillingness of exporters to overcome the mountain of paperwork and extra costs they face to send goods to the EU would have faded by now. It has not.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Farming group warns of looming food crisis for UK – thanks to ‘Brexit red tape’

 

Ah, these sunlit uplands of Brexit truly know no bounds. The Save British Food group (also known as Save British Farming) has issued a chilling warning on Sunday, after scores of supermarkets were left without any fresh produce on their shelves over the weekend.

 

UK facing ‘looming food crisis’ in months ahead
Liz Webster, chair of the organisation, has slammed ‘Brexit red tape’ for creating major supply chain issues. She has stated that tomatoes, cucumbers and potatoes will be hard to come by in the months ahead, due to the UK’s new relationship with the EU.

 

“Things are about to get a lot worse for food supply in Britain. It’s tomatoes, cucumbers, and potatoes are likely to be next. Next few months are when our food stocks are empty, and we rely on imports. EU countries don’t want to export to us, due to Brexit red tape.” | Liz Webster

 

Why are supermarket shelves empty again?
In a statement issued on Sunday, Save British Food now believe a ‘looming catastrophe’ is on the horizon. They argue that the UK’s food supply is now at risk, and cite ‘rejoining EU trade agreements‘ as the only way to avert a significant crisis.

 

“We warned that a food crisis was inevitable thanks to Brexit. The war in Ukraine and COVID-19 have expedited and exacerbated this, and a looming catastrophe is certain. To protect food supply, Britain must be in the EU Single Market and Customs Union.” | 

 

Click on the link for the full article

[China]

Britain and EU close in on crucial Brexit deal for Northern Ireland

 

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will meet in the U.K. on Monday for final talks on a deal to resolve the Northern Ireland Protocol, a key sticking point in the post-Brexit trading arrangement.

 

In a joint statement Sunday, Sunak and von der Leyen said they had “agreed to continue their work in person towards shared, practical solutions for the range of complex challenges around the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland.”

 

The U.K. may have left the European Union on Jan. 31, 2020, but the Northern Ireland Protocol has sparked persistent disagreement ever since. This part of the Brexit deal mandates checks on some goods that travel to Northern Ireland from the rest of the U.K. — with the new negotiations aimed at easing these rules.

 

Unionist parties in Northern Ireland — which is part of the U.K, unlike its neighbor Ireland, which is part of the EU — have argued that the checks place an effective border in the Irish Sea. The Protocol has also been criticized for jeopardizing the Good Friday Agreement — a long-standing peace deal that brought an end to three decades of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland.

 

Click on the link for the full article

[Barry.Randolphe]

People like Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson need to go to prison....they have killed the UK's future. Only hope is that the EU will let them back in down the road, but the damage is done and can get much much worse if Northern Ireland/Scotland leave

[TradeTheBeal!]

Oh those cheeky Brits!