Gordon MP Slams UK Gov Over New Brexit Shambles

Published date : 17 September, 2021

Local MP Richard Thomson has slammed the UK Government over the latest Brexit-related shambles as it announces a further delay to introducing checks on EU goods entering the UK in a bid to head-off supply shortages in the run-up to Christmas.

The UK Government’s handling of the Brexit process means that goods exported to the EU from Scotland and the rest of the UK are subject to full checks while imports from European competitors are mostly free of paperwork and border controls.

Commenting, Richard Thomson MP said:

“Clearly, the best arrangement for the UK was the one prior to Brexit where we co-operated and traded freely with the constituent nations of the EU - and indeed Northern Ireland, where Scottish businesses also face restrictions.

“It’s beyond belief that those who advocated for Brexit had no kind of plan or strategy as to how businesses can carry on trading with the minimum of disruption, nor how consumers in the UK can carry on with their weekly shopping without having to worry about shortages.

“The fact that the UK Government has kicked this can further down the road betrays the fact that the people in charge of Brexit simply haven’t a clue. Figures published just last week by the Office for National Statistics concluded that the total export of goods fell by £300 million in July 2021 due to a £900 million fall in exports to the EU.

In contrast, exports to non-EU countries only increased by £0.7 billion during the same period –highlighting the disastrous impact of Boris Johnson’s Brexit agreement.

“Scotland deserves much better than this and can absolutely do much better than this if we had the powers to bypass London and deal directly with our European partners.”

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