Category Archives: Brexit

The UK is said to be "leading the global education technology revolution" as the nation invests heavily in science tools to inspire the next generation. Data released by the Digital Economy Council last year showed that the UK industry is one of the fastest-growing in Europe, on target to be worth over 3.4billion by the end of the year. This is coming from more than 1,000 companies and startups exploring cutting-edge learning tools such as augmented (AR) and virtual reality (VR) as well as searching for the next big breakthrough.

But a recent report also found that the "UK attracts almost half of all edtech investment coming into Europe".

Howard Lewis, the UK Managing Director of Discovery Education said one of the "key driving forces" behind this is AR.

He told Education Technology: "ARs popularity has undoubtedly been accelerated by COVID-19.

"But even before the pandemic, some of the worlds biggest providers were starting to notice UK innovation.

"No longer thought of as simply a shiny gimmick, educators everywhere now realise the power of immersive technology to transform learning and broaden student horizons, particularly at a time when normal life is restricted.

"Immersive is fast gaining a foothold in other industries too, with the UK sector poised for exponential growth this year.

"Snaps US$500 million dollar acquisition of Oxford-based AR displays developer WaveOptics in May sealed the UKs reputation as a global AR/VR innovator."

In their recent report, the Robert Walters Group noted that while the market in the UK "is still in its infancy," the sector "has proven to be an economic powerhouse in an adverse business climate.

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They added: "Revolutionising the way education can be delivered to students and professionals, Edtech has proven its value in enabling learning to continue remotely in the midst a global pandemic, while simultaneously breaking down the barriers that prevent marginalised groups from accessing it."

Edtech refers to an area of technology devoted to the development and application of tools including software, hardware, and processes intended to promote education.

The Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) defined educational technology as "the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using and managing appropriate technological processes and resources".

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It denoted instructional technology as "the theory and practice of design, development, utilisation, management, and evaluation of processes and resources for learning".

As such, educational technology refers to all valid and reliable applied education sciences, such as equipment, as well as processes and procedures that are derived from scientific research, and in a given context may refer to theoretical, algorithmic or heuristic processes.

It is the process of integrating technology into education in a positive manner that promotes a more diverse learning environment and a way for students to learn how to use technology as well as their common assignments.

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Brexit Britain 'leading tech revolution' as report shows half of Europe's investors in UK - Daily Express

Earlier this summer (July 2021) a news story explained how a Scottish fisherman, Jamie McMillan, had taken the decision to export his shellfish, caught off the Scottish coast, to Asia instead of across the Channel to near-by France. Why? Not for monetary gain, but purely because he faced completing approximately 3 hours of paperwork, every day, to comply with the latest requirements for trading his catch with the EU, following Brexit and the UKs decision to leave the EU and the free market.

Of course, new processes generally become more streamlined over time, as they bed in and become the business norm, so we might assume the paperwork required for trading with the EU will become less complicated. But Jamies story struck me and got me thinking, how many other fishermen, indeed suppliers of any kind, now need to spend valuable time filling in forms and processing documents, which simply did not exist before Brexit? Is this part of the reason we are seeing empty shelves in supermarkets and our deliveries are taking a day or two longer to arrive than they used to?

Although we have been bombarded with government announcements, telling us to be prepared, Brexit is coming. It is becoming clear that many suppliers did not really understand what that truly meant. How many voters voted for more paperwork, more regulations, and empty shelves? Not many. How many businesses, like Jamie, were thinking:

- How am I going to find the capital to hire new employees to handle this new paperwork?

- How am I going to find the time to drive recruitment and bring any new employees up to speed with the complex business rules and resulting paperwork in my industry?

- How am I going to remember all the legislative ins-and-outs that ensure my produce is being traded in a fully compliant way?

- How will I be able to adapt my business to ensure I can carry on trading with EU countries and survive? Or perhaps, like Jamie, I should transfer my trade to non-EU countries?

For many businesses, solving their new paperwork problem can seem insurmountable. Not everyone can ignore the new challenges and divert their trade to areas with less stringent requirements. Indeed, the EU is an important, long-standing trade partner and route for many British suppliers, so solving the paperwork issue and ensuring compliance is unavoidable, if they want to survive.

Thankfully, it is widely accepted that the Customs system is ideally suited for modern technologies, like intelligent automation and robotic process automation, due to it being largely built on moving records between one piece of software and another. Automating the process could therefore decrease the amount of time it takes to fill out the relevant forms, as well as lessen the likelihood of forms being filled out incorrectly.

Automation technology is not just for big businesses. Just look at accounting. Businesses of all sizes are using some sort of automated tax reporting platform, even Scottish fishermen. The standardised nature of border processes mean businesses can and should automate as many processes as they can before they, their products and services get to the border, whether its filling out customs forms, sending notifications, or providing paperwork to the relevant authorities. Built into an effective ERP, customs documents and the additional paperwork required by the EU could be produced and verified at the touch of a button, or simply by sending one email, using rules-based automation.

For a start, almost all ERP systems can generate data-rich documents. This is an essential building block for full automation. The latest software can then extract line level data from an email and build in the appropriate rules for effective automation and compliant documentation. Meaning that Jamie and his fellow traders spend less time filling out forms and are less reliant on older technology, such as OCR scanning, because the data included in their email can be collected exactly as it was inputted by the original generating application.

Secondly, it is common practice for public sector organisations and legislative bodies (for example European international trade and customs departments) to use PEPPOL access points. Meaning that the XML file, which is generated after processing your emailed documents, can be directly sent via PEPPOL to the relevant legislative bodies. This type of transfer is secure and is widely used throughout Europe; meaning Jamies trading partners in France will be able to process everything and pay him quicker too.

Whereas it used to be commonplace for onboarding onto these types of solution to be arduous and time consuming, there are now options which allow suppliers to get set up in days, without having to change any of their other processes.

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Doing the paperwork in a post-Brexit world - Finextra

Swiss publication Aargauer Zeitung appears to be wholeheartedly backing the UK's withdrawal from the EU, penning an op-ed titled: New agreement makes life easier for policyholders and companies. In it, the Swiss German-language daily newspaper based in Aarau stated that the new agreement between the UK and Switzerland will make life easier for policyholders and companies, as it grants insured people equal treatment and easier access to social security benefits.

According to the publication founded in 1996, it also avoids over-insurance, as well as insurance gaps for people who work in both countries.

On top of that, the agreement will facilitate the temporary deployment of workers in the other country.

The deal has now been approved by the Federal Council, as the Federal Social Insurance Office (FSIO) announced on Wednesday.

The parliaments of both nations still have to approve the agreement.

However, after consultation took place with the parliamentary commissions, which are responsible for the deal, the agreement will be applied provisionally.

Up until Brexit, that is when the United Kingdom left the EU at the beginning of 2021, the social security systems in Switzerland and the UK were governed by the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons (FZA) regulated by the EU.

After Brexit, Switzerland and the UK have negotiated a new bilateral agreement in order to regulate social security relationships in a targeted and comprehensive manner.

The news comes after Britons urged the Government to focus on the "CANZUK union", rather than the EU, following reports about how much western European states are paying Brussels.

READ MORE:Hannan says 'honest reporting' of Brexit economics was 'prejudiced'

In response Express.co.uk readers argued Boris Johnson should prioritise the a CANZUK alliance, rather than cooperate more closely with the EU.

CANZUK is a proposed alliance between the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Its advocates are calling for free trade, free movement and defence cooperation between the four English speaking nations.

One Express.co.uk reader wrote: The EU will never work.

Can't just throw together countries with totally different cultures that have their own separate identity and histories going back thousands of years.

The USA worked because it was all created at the same time, everyone was a European immigrant creating a new country and culture.

That's why the UK should concentrate on a CANZUK union. A group of nations that share a culture, history, family, language and head of state.

Another user added: The EU have nobody to blame but themselves.

If they had only given a few minor concessions to David Cameron in 2016, just enough for him to sell it to the UK as an improved deal, the referendum would have gone the other way.

Instead they treated Cameron with utter contempt and it was just No, No, No all the way. Now this is the result.

In Britain, last year a group of Conservative, Labour and DUP MPs created the All Party Parliamentary Group for CANZUK in the Houses of Parliament.

Additional reporting by Monika Pallenberg

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Brexit victory! Swiss boast about how easy it is to deal with UK after EU exit - Express

Writing for the Manchester Evening News, economist Anand Menon wrote how Brexit and the pandemic has created an opportunity for the North. Describing the country as "riven" by inequality and one that where you are born can "shape" your life.

During a speech at the government's "levelling up" agenda in Coventry, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "For too many people, geography turns out to be destiny."

He first made the claim while admitting the UK economy is "more unbalanced than any other major country".

Measured by local GDP per capita, the UK's output is 26,000 more in London than of the North West, North East and Yorkshire, making it the most unequal country in the development world, which Professor Menon says has nearly "doubled" between 2001 and 2019.

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Professor Menon stated the difference in property and financial wealth between London and the North and Midlands, where wealth rose by 150 percent in London within ten years, while the same figure for the North and Midlands was under 20 percent.

Making his point clear on the window of opportunity presented through the pandemic and Brexit, he said it has also enabled the profile of elected regional leaders to use their platform to hold the government accountable to inequality around the country.

He said: "That awareness must be kept alive and mobilised.

"There will never be a better chance to address the slew of genuine problems that have been ignored for so long. Carpe diem, as the Prime Minister might say."

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Boris handed 'unique opportunity' to unlock the North - Brexit to rocket boost economy - Daily Express

Of all Brexits trials and tribulations, new checks from 1 October ahead of more from January and March are set to be among the most testing, as any difficulties with the new regime will rapidly filter through to supermarket shelves.

And as the food industry renews its focus on the upcoming changes, there are growing concerns all is not well. Last week, the Fresh Produce Consortium warned there was still a huge amount of uncertainty about the readiness of IT systems and border control posts.

Meanwhile, Food & Drink Federation CEO Ian Wright last week wrote to environment secretary George Eustice and Brexit minister David Frost to highlight key areas of concern.

So what are the biggest problems that need addressing in the coming weeks and months?

The problem with the new Brexit checks has often been one of consistency.

Checks are only currently taking place on goods leaving Britain, but already we have seen border officials in France following different rules to those in the Netherlands. Official veterinarians in North Wales have been completing paperwork differently to those in Somerset as a result.

From October, once border checks begin on food entering Britain too, the impact of such discrepancies could increase exponentially.

One of the biggest concerns is how official veterinarians (OVs) will behave in each EU member state. All foods of animal origin arriving from the EU whether it be parma ham or French brie will require an export health certificate signed off by a certified veterinarian in its country of origin.

However, some EU governments say their approach will not require OVs to physically inspect consignments, in stark contradiction with official UK guidance. The FDF is therefore calling for a clear statement from the UK government to all EU member states to ensure clarity and the implementation of a consistent approach by EU authorities.

Otherwise, it says, we face a real threat that key supply chains could break down.

EU countries vet capacity is also a concern. European suppliers have regularly told of a lack of vets both in the EU and GB, and reports suggest the issue will be compounded by a reluctance of many vets to work outside typical business hours.

This will cause significant challenges for fast-moving supply chains where many businesses send consignments at all hours of the day, says the FDF in its letter.

Animal and plant products imported into the UK from the EU will have to go via border control posts from 1 January 2022.

Yet there are concerns the necessary infrastructure will still not be in place, never mind having the staff to run it. Portsmouth City Council said this month that the government had provided just 500,000 to hire new staff at its port, 2m short of what is needed.

The councils regulatory services manager, Richard Lee, told a cabinet meeting that significant variations in the predicted flows of goods arriving at the port made it difficult to plan for the level of checks required.

I have some confidence we will be carrying out the checks by October, but I can offer absolutely no guarantees about our readiness at this point, he said.

Food and drink businesses are eager to confirm their post-Brexit import plans for next year, including which ports they will use. However, according to the FDF, a lack of information regarding both the exact location of many border posts as well as their capabilities means many companies are unable to progress.

The FDF said it is essential that this infrastructure will be in place on 1 January 2022 and that clarity is provided as a matter of urgency.

Pre-notification and export health certificates required for animal-origin products

Physical checks to begin at the border, including on animal and plants products, along with requirements for safety and security declarations

Physical checks to begin on live animals and low-risk plant products

Many of the border control posts will be positioned inland, away from ports, in an attempt to minimise queues and disruption.

This delivers its own problems, according to the FDF, as we do not yet have clarity regarding how movements from the points of entry to the various inland sites will operate.

When checks began on British goods entering the EU at the start of 2021, a lack of clarity and understanding meant many drivers left the port without travelling to the inland border post for checks.

Were this to happen in Britain from next year, businesses could be receiving at their warehouses EU goods not yet officially cleared to be placed on the market.

Its one of many remaining uncertainties surrounding border posts, says the FDF. We do not yet have the required detail on the frequency of physical checks that will apply to animal and plant products from 1 January 2022, the way checks of certain product categories will be scaled up, or if businesses will need to have agents in place at ports to oversee checks, as has been required at the Port of Calais.

Since Brexit, British exporters have been required to give 24 hours notice before sending certain products into the EU.

This not only reduces the efficiency of supply chains, but often forces lorries to idle until the 24-hour window passes, says the FDF.

The UK has not yet confirmed whether a reciprocal process will apply from 1 October, and businesses are urging the government to implement a four-hour notification period instead. The FDF insists the shorter window is necessary because required pre-notification details include vehicle registrations, which are often not known 24 hours in advance.

Notification periods are in place to enable border officials to regulate the flow of lorries across the short seas, thereby avoiding significant queues. The question will be whether four hours notice is enough to ensure this is avoided.

Foods of animal origin must come via a government approved establishment to cross from Great Britain into the EU, and it is widely assumed the requirement will be reciprocated in the opposite direction.

But the UK has not yet shared its list of approved establishments, thereby inhibiting British buyers from reviewing it to ensure their suppliers comply. This information should be shared immediately, says the FDF.

Like all the problems, the issues are not insurmountable. But with the clock ticking, action is needed urgently.

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Brexit border checks: the five areas of most concern - The Grocer

IT has been another dramatic week in post-Brexit Britain, with the possibility of the Army being required to step in to deliver food amid an alarming shortage of heavy goods vehicle drivers having made headlines.

Sadly, it seems senior UK Government ministers either genuinely do not recognise the urgency of the situation, in spite of warnings from the likes of the haulage industry and major supermarket group chiefs, or are too hidebound by the Johnson administrations demoralising immigration clampdown ideology to solve the problem.

What is crystal clear, however, is that time is of the essence here.

While Brexiters appear to favour the view that the shambles is entirely the result of the coronavirus pandemic, those on the front line without political or ideological axes to grind are telling a very different story. And it is not a surprising tale Brexit has indeed been a major factor.

This mess is absolutely not just down to the so-called pingdemic, which is probably a handy little made-up word for the Johnson administration as the pandemic fall-out continues to provide cover for the consequences of its Brexit folly.

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Of course, anyone contemplating the situation rationally would have been able to see what would happen to the supply of heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers in the wake of the Brexit vote, given the huge number of people from continuing European Union member states working in this sector in the UK. The same applies to the impact of the decision to leave the EU on the labour force across many parts of the UK economy.

Indeed, there were plenty of warnings of labour and skills shortages before the Conservative Government had travelled all the way down its hard Brexit path, from the run-up to the EU membership referendum in 2016 onwards. These were ignored.

Focusing on where we are now, with the myriad warnings having been bang on the money, some Brexiters appear to remain of the view that all vacant posts filled previously by people from our EU neighbours can be taken on instantly by British workers.

This entirely mistaken belief, retained by many in spite of all evidence to the contrary, is a big problem.

This is a phase in which the focus must be on mitigating the inevitably enormous detrimental consequences of Brexit on the economy and living standards.

The massive problem in this context is that UK Government ministers seem to be refusing to recognise the troubles they have created, at least publicly. And it often seems they actually believe there is no problem, so taken are they with their Brexit.

Anyone who dares to point to the reality is shouted down by ideological Brexiters. It is a sorry state of affairs indeed, and certainly not one conducive to trying to tackle the huge problems that have arisen.

People say Brexit is done, and this is true. However, that surely means the inevitable major mess now has to be addressed, as far as it can be, does it not?

You would have thought the sight of empty shelves and talk of the Army maybe having to help out might have focused even the ideologically driven minds, but this appears not to be the case. We should not be too surprised though. This is a time of entrenched opinions and of refusal by some to acknowledge what is happening right in front of their eyes.

Richard Burnett, chief executive of the Road Haulage Association (RHA), warned last week that it would take at least 18 months to train enough HGV drivers to tackle the current shortage.

The RHA says the UK is short of around 100,000 HGV drivers and has highlighted the struggle to get goods into shelves.

The timescale laid out by Mr Burnett should, you would think, make the powers that be sit up and take note.

READ MORE:Ian McConnell: Welcome to shortages Britain: so what now Boris Johnson?

The RHA called for HGV drivers to be added to the Governments skilled worker shortage occupation list as a short-term measure, as it laid out potential solutions.

Given the scale and urgency of the developing problem, rapid solutions are required.

However, Conservative Government ministers, in a joint letter to the UK logistics sector, appeared entirely unwilling to take the action that could mitigate the enormously damaging HGV driver shortage in the short term. This shortage is not only affecting food deliveries but a raft of other sectors, including construction and manufacturing.

It is clear that the loss of EU drivers from the UK labour force is a key part of the problem. So the obvious things to do in the emergency situation in which we find ourselves are to make it as easy as possible for these people to return, should they so wish, and attract other drivers from our EU neighbours.

This will, of course, not be easy. Many HGV drivers who were employed in the UK will be working happily elsewhere now. Nevertheless, the Government should be acting urgently to attract large numbers of HGV drivers to the UK as quickly as possible.

However, Government ministers last month, in their joint letter to the UK logistics sector, indicated this was not a road the Johnson administration would be going down.

The letter came from Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps, and his counterparts at the Department for Work & Pensions, Thrse Coffey, and Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, George Eustice.

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The ministers declared: Large numbers of EU nationals have settled status or pre-settled status in the UK and continue to be an important part of the lorry driving workforce. But for the future workforce, we will need to develop people resident in the UK as opposed to specifically providing visas for this group of workers.

While a drive to try to tempt more UK residents into lorry-driving is all well and good, it is not going to solve the short-term problem. And it seems likely, given the mix of the workforce before the coronavirus pandemic and Brexit, that the appetite among UK residents to work in this sector will overall remain far from sufficient to meet demand for drivers.

The same realities apply to the hospitality sector, which is facing critical skills shortages as it attempts to recover from the worst possible of times arising from the pandemic.

This sector too has been heavily reliant on workers from continuing EU member states. Both at aggregate industry level and anecdotally from the likes of restaurant owners, you hear of great troubles in recruiting chefs and other workers.

Brexiters must surely realise that it takes time to train chefs. In hospitality, as in haulage, a drive to tempt more UK residents into the sector is all well and good but it will take time and it seems unlikely to get anywhere near making up for the shortages of skills and labour arising from Brexit and exacerbated by the pandemic.

We should not be surprised by the head-in-the-sand attitude of the UK Government to the labour market shortages. As much of the rest of the world was celebrating news of success in coronavirus vaccine development last November, Home Secretary Priti Patel tweeted: After many years of campaigning, I am delighted the Immigration Bill which will end free movement on 31st December has today passed through Parliament. We are delivering on the will of the British people.

The end of free movement has of course, as was utterly inevitable, had very real, detrimental effects, and is most certainly not a matter for delight.

Former Labour secretary of state for transport Lord Andrew Adonis seemed to sum up well the sad current situation on Tuesday.

Lord Adonis, providing his take on the message on the lorry-driver crisis emanating from Mr Shapps, tweeted: The Transport Secretary says he would rather have HGV driver shortages, and thus food shortages in the shops, than allow more EU truck drivers. Incredible Brexit blinkers.

The situation is most certainly incredible.

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Ian McConnell: Time to take off Brexit blinkers and deal with alarming crisis - HeraldScotland

Brexit: David Davis warns of 'three more years' of negotiations

Late last month, Prime Minister Boris Johnson was reported to be on the verge of triggering Article 16 and overhauling the post-Brexit trading arrangements for Northern Ireland but was persuaded otherwise by his Brexit minister Lord Frost. But the warning to deploy the so-called "nuclear option" was rumoured to have still been issued to Ireland, with UK officials understood to have made clear it is Mr Johnson - and not Lord Frost - who is in fact most in favour of triggering Article 16.

The enforcement of Article 16 could spark another huge rift with the European Union as it is the mechanism by which either side is able to suspend parts of the Protocol if they believe it is causing huge economic or societal damage to the region.

Now Mr Johnson has been urged to make the aggressive move as it would send a clear signal to Brussels the UK is now willing to "play hardball" over the Protocol but that ultimately must be sent by scrapping the mechanism completely.

But the Prime Minister has been warned he must spring into action and get on the front foot with the EU or risk the UK facing a devastating outcome.

Ben Harris-Quinney, chairman of the Bow Group think tank, told Express.co.uk: "The UK must be extremely tough in its negotiating stance, as failure to do so risks either removing trade and regulatory advantage from Brexit, or breaking up the United Kingdom.

"There is simply no point in trying to kick the can down the road in the foolish hope the situation will somehow resolve itself.

"If decisive action isn't taken the EU will have effective control of Northern Irish trade into the future.

"By invoking Article 16, the UK Government would begin to send a formal signal that they are willing to play hardball, but ultimately that signal must be sent by scrapping the protocol altogether.

"Decisions will have to be made that will be extremely controversial, but if they are not it will mean capitulation to the EU, severe damage to the Brexit project, and severe damage to the Union."

READ MORE:Shetland Islands demand independence and dismisses Indyref2

Mr Harris-Quinney claimed are only four realistic outcomes to resolve the issues on trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland - all of which at present appear "unworkable if not impossible".

He explained what he believes is now the best option for the UK going forward but warned making the wrong choice could plunge the country into complete alignment with the UK - eight months after Brexit.

The political expert added: "The cold hard truth is that there are only four realistic outcomes: a customs border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, a border between Northern Ireland and the UK, a border between the island of Ireland and the EU, or the UK as a whole moving into regulatory alignment with the EU.

"All of these options seem unworkable if not impossible, yet ultimately the status quo must settle on one of them.

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"It is the job of the British government to use all means at our disposal to ensure the settlement is one that is best for Britain.

"The best option for the United Kingdom would be for the UK and Ireland to negotiate a bespoke adaptation of Article 349 or GATT 24, creating a special economic zone for the island of Ireland.

"The worst option would be that an effective border continues down the Irish sea, or that we fall into regulatory alignment with the EU entirely."

Last month, Lord Frost unveiled a number of proposals he hopes will ease problems caused by the Protocol.

They included being more lenient in its enforcement of customs checks, scrapping requirements for Northern Ireland goods to meet EU laws if they comply with British legislation, and agreeing to remove the European Court of Justice as the arbitrator of the Protocol.

While Lord Frost warned the UK believes the conditions for triggering Article 16 had now been met and the Protocol in its current form is no longer a viable solution, he instead called for the mechanism to be rewritten.

But European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned:: "The EU will continue to be creative and flexible within the Protocol framework. But we will not renegotiate."

Just a couple of days later, the Commission appeared to change its tone slightly on the matter.

A spokeswoman said: "The Commission will carefully assess the new proposals made by the UK, in accordance with the necessary consultation procedures, both internally, and with the European Parliament."

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Brexit WARNING: Boris told breakup of UK is REAL if Britain not 'extremely tough' with EU - Daily Express

The last Labour leader failed utterly to oppose the Brexit fantasies and now-proven nonsense that propelled Johnson into Downing Street. If the current one doesnt find a way to highlight its dismal realities soon, HE will be staying there

Image: PA)

If youre anywhere near Devon this weekend, be sure to visit a Plants Galore garden centre.

In Plymouth, Newton Abbot and Exeter, theyre giving away 100,000 of plants because they havent got the staff to look after them.

With the advent of Brexit and the departure of many European staff from the UK, we are suffering the same problem as many other businesses in the South West in finding suitable staff who want to work, team leader Matt Pollard told the Plymouth Herald.

Meanwhile, retailers lucky enough to still have enough staff are increasingly suffering from a nationwide shortage of HGV drivers.

According to the Road Haulage Association, which also blames a Brexit exodus for the problem, we need about 100,000 drivers to fill the growing number of empty shelves in our supermarkets.

So whether they grow their own products or rely on others to deliver them, Brexit is hitting businesses hard. And its barely seven months old.

Image:

Speaking of lorries, the Government snuck out the news this week that emergency measures brought in to counter the impact of, you guessed it, Brexit, on the port of Dover and around the channel tunnel at Folkestone are to be made permanent.

The change was published quietly on the Governments website while MPs are on holiday. It means the authorities will be free to trigger Operation Brock, a traffic management system designed to cope with queues of up to 13,000 lorries heading for mainland Europe, whenever they want.

Parts of Kent, in other words, will now be under a permanent state of emergency.

At the other end of England, the chief executive of the North East England Chamber of Commerce wrote to the Prime Minister almost three weeks ago asking for urgent help with problems caused by all together now Brexit.

When I checked in with James Ramsbotham on my LBC radio show this week he told me he was still waiting for a reply, adding: At least a third of our businesses here in the North East say Brexit is having a damaging impact.

And then theres farming, fishing, hospitality, the border in the Irish Sea I could go on and, if you listen to the radio show, youll know that I frequently do.

But one thing is clear: the Brexit elephant is not just in the room, its smashing up the furniture, alienating the neighbours and trumpety-trumping away while Boris Johnson sticks his fingers in his ears and Keir Starmer looks the other way.

The last Labour leader failed utterly to oppose the Brexit fantasies and now-proven nonsense that propelled Johnson into Downing Street. If the current one doesnt find a way to highlight its dismal realities soon, HE will be staying there.

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'Keir Starmer needs to mean business and battle the Brexit elephant' - The Mirror

1. The EU Needs a Policy to Turn Post-Brexit UK into a Good Neighbor  Bloomberg
2. UK rejects EUs Northern Ireland moves, saying Brexit deal must be renegotiated  The Guardian
3. Brexit: EU publishes proposals to simplify NI Protocol  BBC News
4. Brexit: Boris Johnson slammed over trade deals and Northern Ireland protocol  The Scotsman
5. Brexit LIVE: Boris throws away new EU proposals orders withdrawal agreement be reopened  Daily Express
6. View Full Coverage on Google News

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The EU Needs a Policy to Turn Post-Brexit UK into a Good Neighbor - Bloomberg

LONDON, July 22 (Reuters) - British Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng said on Thursday the European Union had been inflexible over renegotiating the Northern Ireland part of the Brexit divorce accord and cautioned Brussels that it was not a deal that would last for ever.

"A deal is a deal but it wasn't something that was going to last forever," Kwarteng told Sky. "It was something that was flexible and we want to make it work more smoothly."

"Article 16 ... it is something that we could do, to suspend it, we've chosen not to do that, that's not our opening position and we want to be able to negotiate and have a conversation with the EU about how best to go forward."

Britain demanded on Wednesday that the EU agree to rewrite the Northern Ireland protocol which covers post-Brexit trade involving the province just a year after it was agreed.

The EU immediately rejected that call, saying Britain needed to respect its international obligations and pointed out it had been negotiated by Prime Minister Boris Johnson. read more

The protocol was a key part of the Brexit settlement, backed by Johnson, that finally sealed Britain's divorce from the EU four years after voters backed leaving in a referendum.

Businesses in Northern Ireland say it is damaging trade, and some pro-British groups have protested at what they say is a weakening of ties with Britain, raising concerns about a return to the violence which plagued the province for three decades.

The protocol addresses the biggest conundrum of the divorce: how to ensure the delicate peace brought to the province by a U.S.-brokered 1998 peace accord - by maintaining an open border - without opening a back door through neighbouring Ireland to the EU's single market of 450 million people.

Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge and Kate Holton; editing by Michael Holden

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Britain tells EU on Brexit deal: it wasn't going to last forever - Reuters UK