Leamington employers warned not to delay Brexit preparations

The advice came during a video call with the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce’s Brexit Club which included experts from the Department for International Trade (DIT) and the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) as well as businesses importing and exporting.

Export expert David Hooper, of Independent Freight and Hooper & Co, said firms should not be put off preparations for when and if a deal is agreed.

He said: “It’s not like we can say that there are still four years to go so you can ‘wait and see’ – this is happening in six months and you need to be ready.

“A deal might make things better from the point of view of tariffs but we’re leaving the Customs Union and we’re leaving the Single Market which impacts all goods that will go across to the EU.

“That means suddenly 200 million more customs declarations per year must be filled in. It won’t be a case of simply loading a truck and sending it off to the EU. It will need two days’ preparation because if the paperwork isn’t done, those goods aren’t going to reach the customer.

“Equally, if you trade outside of the EU, this may still affect you too because you might be trading on terms that have come about because of a Free Trade Agreement through the EU. If it’s no deal, then those FTAs expire on January 1, 2021, and the origin of your product suddenly becomes vital.”

Ajay Desai, the chamber’s International Trade Director, said firms should get in touch with the Chamber’s international trade advisers for support regarding all overseas trade, including with the EU.

He said: “It’s vitally important that businesses gear up for what’s happening with regards to our future relationship with the EU and with how the world starts to emerge from the COVID-19 crisis.”

David Burton, chair of the Chamber’s Brexit Club, said: “There is a lot to be done over the next six months as we get ready for this massive change to the way we do business with the EU and around the world.”