Having been glued to PMQs this lunchtime and the unfurling of the article 50 speech we’re now on the road to a new beginning. How will trading with our EU partners change when Brexit finally happens two years from now?
Here is a pertinent article from Lloyds Loading List with comments from our good friend at BIFA Robert Keen.
“On the day UK Prime Minister Theresa May invokes ‘Article 50’ and begins negotiations for Britain’s exit from the European Union, the trade body that represents the UK’s freight forwarding companies said with “so many unknowns” it was “still too soon to make speculative statements” about Brexit’s likely impact on freight and logistics.
Robert Keen, director general of the British International Freight Association (BIFA) commented: “In the run up to the UK’s eventual exit, we will be working with government to try and ensure that the movement of the UK’s visible import and export trade does not become overburdened by over-complicated trade procedures. Clearly there are significant areas of concern for our members, which are responsible for much of the physical movement of that trade, over the eventual outcome, including the physical infrastructure, trade arrangements and Customs practices that will be reviewed as part of the Brexit negotiations.”
But he said nobody really knows what is likely to happen in reality, adding: “BIFA’s focus now will be presenting the views of our members to the various government departments that we deal with, as well as working with organisations such as the Confederation of British Industry and International Chamber of Commerce to make sure that all parties negotiating the post-Brexit landscape are fully aware of the potential challenges for which they will need to find solutions.”
In other words, no-one knows. We do however have some thoughts based on experts in their respective fields which we’ll prepare for a new article soon.
In the meantime, happy art.50 day.
The Jordon Team