Category Archives: Brexit

After half a decade of political wrangling, the UK formally left the EU on January 31, 2020, with the transition period ending at the end of that year.Brexit had a huge impact on the UKs vaccine rollout, as the Government was able to jab their way out of Covid restrictions faster than their European counterparts. However, despite the UK having struck trade deals with over 70 countries, critics claim that little progress has been made on garnering the economic benefits of Brexit.

Dr Bull, who is the Deputy Leader of Reform UK, previously known as the Brexit Party, campaigned for the UK to leave the EU.

He accusedPrime Minister Boris Johnson of failing to take advantage of the extraordinary referendum result.

While he does not regret having campaigned and voted for Brexit, Mr Bull graded the UKs first year outside of the EU four out of ten and stressed the country could do better.

Speaking to Express.co.uk, Dr Bull added: I think thats generous.

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Has anyone really noticed any difference? No is the honest answer.

What worries me the most is youve got this brigade of Remainers that actually should be called Rejoiners, like [Andrew] Adonis, [Peter] Mandelson and so on, and actually they are pointing out the fact that theres no discernable difference at the moment.

And actually I think theyre right, and all weve done by not grasping that nettle is to say, Actually, if there is no discernible difference, we would be better off back in the EU!

When asked what Reform UK may have done differently Dr Bull said: What we should have done is to say, Right, this is where the future begins, were now going to slash tax, were going to get a flat tax across the board for example. Were going to slash VAT, were doing these trade deals, were going to bring in the brightest talent.

The Protocol, which has essentially created a trade border in the Irish Sea, has disrupted trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Dr Bull said: Taking Northern Ireland out of the United Kingdom and putting an artificial border in the Irish Sea, I think is catastrophic.

The whole point about not creating a hard border on the island of Ireland, yes I get that, and the Good Friday Agreement, I get all of that.

But essentially the Prime Minister has threatened the integrity of the United Kingdom and I think thats unforgivable.

The Reform UK Deputy Leader also criticised the Tories broken tax promises and insisted that the cost of living needed to be addressed.

He said: I think the current Government has just doubled down on where the European Union is.

Were now a high tax, high regulation, low growth economy and you can see that with the fact were got inflation rising, National Insurance coming in, our tax bills coming up.

This isnt what people voted for.

He continued: I dont think weve taken advantage of the extraordinary vote that we had.

I maintain to this day it was still the right decision. The largest democratic vote in the United Kingdom I think, and it was extraordinary.

The whole point about it was that we became a free and self-governing country where we no longer are held ransom by this ridiculous monolist that is the European Union and that we can decide the rules and the laws that are good for Britain.

I dont think we have done that.

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Brexit betrayal laid bare as shoddy first year graded 'four out of ten': 'Pathetic - Express

On 1 January 2021, the biggest changes to the UKs immigration system in at least four decades took effect. Free movement between the UK and the EU ended (as well as with EEA member states and Switzerland) and a new post-Brexit system was introduced for work-related migration; this new system applies to both EU and non-EU citizens. Meanwhile, the existing immigration rules for students and family members coming from outside the EU now apply to EU citizens after Brexit.

There are two major exceptions: EU citizens who were living here before January 2021 and have registered for the EU Settlement Scheme have most of their existing rights protected, while the status of Irish citizens is essentially unchanged.

As I describe here in a more detailed assessment of the changes:

The new system represents a very significant tightening of controls on EU migration compared to free movement. However, compared to the current system, the new proposals represent a considerable liberalization for non-EU migrants, with lower salary and skill thresholds, and no overall cap on numbers.

We now have a full years worth of data on the operation of the new system. So, what have we learned about immigration after Brexit? Here are five key points.

First, the new system works; that is to say, visas are being processed reasonably quickly, and there are no major complaints about long delays, unreasonable denials of visas, or malfunctioning or unusable IT systems.

Given the magnitude of the changes described above, being made in the middle of a pandemic and the past record of the Home Office in delivering major IT or change projects this is both impressive and surprising. My expectations were considerably more pessimistic, and Im glad to say I was wrong.

Second, work-related migration has recovered strongly. As with the broader economy where worries about persistent long-term unemployment have been replaced with concern about skill and labour shortages as yet theres no evidence that the pandemic has had any permanent negative impact on immigration. And the liberalisation of policy towards non-EU citizens is already evident. The introduction of the new Health and Care Visa (HCV) has had a big impact, with about 65,000 such visas issued in 2021.

Third, the figures are even more dramatic for students. Student visa numbers have soared to above 400,000. Theresa May and Nick Timothy, based on data theyknew to be misleading, were determined to use the pretext of abuse of the student visa route (which certainly existed, but on nothing like the scale of their baseless claims) to choke off the ability of international students to come to the UK; the collateral damage to the UK economy wasnt their problem.

Ten years on, that approach has been definitively binned. From my perspective, particularly welcome is the introduction of the Graduate Route effectively the reintroduction of the Post-Study Work Route, which Treasury colleagues and I devised in the early 2000s, and which allows international students graduating from UK universities to remain here for up to two years and work. Its only been operating for six months; so far about 12,500 visas have been issued but expect the numbers to grow.

Fourth, these increases are not primarily driven by the fact that EU citizens now have to apply for visas. They only make up a bit more than one in 10 of work visas, and five per cent of student visas.

In part, this may be because many EU citizens coming here had already acquired settled status based on a past period of residence here, and some of those intending to move here in 2021 would have tried to get here in 2020, so as to be eligible for settled status. The proportion of work and study visas going to EU citizens will certainly rise in the future but how far remains a big unknown.

Finally: if its not EU citizens, where are these increases in immigration coming from after Brexit?

As before the pandemic, India is by far the largest single source country for work visas, making up about 40% of the total. But there are big increases for Nigeria and the Philippines, probably reflecting the HCV; the Philippines is the largest source country for nurses in the world. [As an aside, for those who not unreasonably worry about the impact of skilled emigration on source countries, an important new paper shows that nurse emigration from the Philippines actually increases the domestic supply of nurses. Brain gain, not brain drain.]

For students, while China remains the largest single source country, the scale of the increases in those coming from India, Nigeria and Pakistan is very large indeed:

Theres a lot more in the data. I havent discussed asylum, where applications are now at their highest level since 2003, and the backlog of unprocessed applications has now exceeded 100,000: an inexcusable act of what (given reasonably speedy performance elsewhere in the system) appears to be deliberate cruelty. Nor the new BN(O) visa route for Hong Kong residents with British Overseas citizenship, where more than 100,000 applications have now been received. Nor the special routes for HGV drivers and so on, which have been widely derided and the impact of which appears to have been minimal.

But the current picture appears to be a UK immigration system rapidly (re)-orientating from Europe to the rest of the world, especially South and South-East Asia. How will that affect the UK labour market, and indeed UK economy and society more broadly? This is likely to be a central focus of the debate on the impact on immigration after Brexit over the years to come.

By Jonathan Portes, Senior Fellow at UK in a Changing Europe.

Read more from the original source:

Immigration after Brexit one year on: changing places? - UK in a Changing Europe

The former MP and broadcaster claimed the UK should be playing an "independent, bridging role" towards China and Russia. He hit out at the Labour leader for lending his "full support" to what Mr Galloway called "going full-Tonto" in its approach to Russia. The broadcaster, who has his own show on Russian state-sponsored media channel RT, wrote on Twitter: "It would have benefited Britain, if post-Brexit, we had played an independent, bridging role towards #China #Russia etc.

"Instead (with Starmers full support), HMG have gone full-Tonto.

"Apparently with wide public support.

"Whether that will continue when the bills come in..."

This comes after the UK Government imposed further sanctions on Putin's Russia last night.

Three more Russian banks were sanctioned, including Russia's largest bank, Sberbank.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss also announced the UK will ban exports to Russia across a range of "critical sectors".

Meanwhile, Russian ships have been banned from UK ports, with authorities being given new powers to detain Russian vessels.

Ms Truss acknowledged the conflict "could end up lasting months and years", saying the UK was "prepared to suffer economic sacrifices" in order to support Ukraine.

LIVE UPDATES:Brexit LIVE: Hammer blow for Rejoiner fearmongering

for Putin's war on Ukraine.

His co-founder, Jamie Blackett said his alliance with Mr Galloway was "at an end", after he appeared to blame the West for Russia's invasion of Ukraine during his programme on RT.

Mr Galloway accused the US of being behind a "fascistic coup" in Ukraine in 2014, claiming the country had banned the Russian language.

In response, Mr Blackett issued a statement describing Mr Galloway's comments as "wrong and counterproductive".

He said: "A4U was set up as a very broad alliance of people from across the political spectrum to counter separatism in Scotland.

"I do not speak for George Galloway and he does not speak for me on issues unrelated to Scottish domestic politics

"But I am aware that his view of events is very different from mine.

"I believe some of his comments have been wrong and counterproductive and therefore, in order to make it absolutely clear that I disagree, our alliance is at an end."

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said Mr Galloway had form in finding himself on the wrong side of history and his association with RT has lent legitimacy and influence to the propaganda apparatus of a hostile power.

He added: By acting as an apologist for Russian expansionist aggression, Galloways reputation lies in tatters, as does his political career."

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'Would have benefitted Britain' Galloway launches scathing attack on Starmer over Brexit - Express

Reports are suggesting that Bitcoin could be boosted as Russians turn to crypto to avoid the West's sanctions on their country. Russian forces are a week into their invasion of Ukraine, and Western leaders have isolated Moscow with hard sanctions, which will have a big impact on the country's economy. Trading data suggests that Russians are increasingly turning to digital assets to avoid the Western sanctions. According to Kaiko, a firm that analyses crypto markets, trading volumes between the Russian rouble and tether, a leading cryptocurrency, hit a record high on Monday.

Crypto and blockchain technology remains a polarising concept, with critics raising concern about the unregulated nature of assets such as Bitcoin.

But those who support crypto technology believe it can revolutionise the way markets work for the better.

Matt Hancock, MP for West Suffolk, has been a vocal voice in Parliament backing the use of crypto.

Speaking to the Citywire Wealthtech Show on Friday, Mr Hancock argued that other leaders, such as those in the EU have been too restrictive on crypto and Fintech.

He said: Innovation is the way we build the future of people's prosperity, that is the big picture. I was listening to a debate in Parliament and I thought, 'we need to be more positive, we need to be more energetic'.

"These innovations are going to happen, so let's have them happen here. It's that sort of attitude which is the right one for the UK to take."

On the EU's approach to new technologies, he added: "The EU is clearly moving in this space, and is proposing a regulatory regime which I think is too restrictive.

"In buying risk assets, crypto that isn't anchored for instance, we should allow people to buy and trade this stuff. That is a liberal regime.

"Yes there needs to be some standards around this stuff, for instance advertising and tackling money laundering.

"There is an attitude in some parts of the world and in the UK that we should only let sophisticated investors near this stuff because you can lose money.

Well, you can lose money buying equities, so let's treat this asset class in a way that is open to investment and allows people to make choices for themselves."

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In January, one of the EU's leading financial regulators said the EU should ban the energy-intensive system used to mine Bitcoin.

In an interview with the Financial Times, vice-chair of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) Erik Theden called for a bloc-wide ban on "proof of work" crypto mining, saying the industry's energy usage was becoming a "national issue" in his native Sweden.

He said: "Bitcoin is now a national issue for Sweden because of the amount of renewable energy devoted to mining.

"It would be an irony if the wind power generated on Swedens long coastline would be devoted to Bitcoin mining."

Meanwhile, Mr Hancock told Express.co.uk he would consider investing in Bitcoin.

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He also argued that the cryptocurrency could play a role in a post-Brexit economy.

When asked if crypto can play a role in a post-Brexit economy, Mr Hancock said: "Yes. We now dont have to just take the EUs restrictive regulatory regime and instead can design our own that is more dynamic."

He added: "Crypto is already here and in use. Its expanding rapidly in the UK and around the world. We dont have a choice as to whether it is happening. The choice we have is how we shape it best to benefit people.

"Britain has long prospered by being the home of financial innovation. Hundreds of years ago, we were the first place in the world to establish a central bank.

"In the Eighties, we pioneered the eurobond market, and we have been the leading place in the world to trade currency for decades. So it is natural that with a liberal regulatory system we should be the home to cryptocurrencies too."

Express.co.uk does not offer financial advice. The journalists who worked on this story do not own crypto.

Read the original here:

EU's Bitcoin regime 'too restrictive' as Brexit Britain told to capitalise on crypto - Express

By Martin Croucher (March 2, 2022, 6:08 PM GMT) -- The government will ensure that regulators will still prioritize financial stability over a new requirement to consider international competitiveness and growth, the City minister told MPs on Wednesday, as the U.K. charts a post-Brexit course for financial services.

John Glen told the Treasury Select Committee that the government did not intend to "neuter" the powers of U.K. financial watchdogs by making them consider the wider effect on the market of regulatory action.

The government is considering whether to introduce a requirement for watchdogs to consider how globally competitive Britain's financial sector is when it drafts new regulation. The proposed new guiding...

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Gov't Says Stability Will Still Trump Growth In Brexit Shakeup - Law360

The CEO of Shimano'sUK cycle partsdistributor Madison has offered some hope on the supply issues that have plagued the bike trade over the past few years. Dominic Langan was cautious not to point the finger at Brexit, suggesting rather that"the whole world was after the same parts."He also suggested that supply could return to normal later this year.

Over the past few years, there has been a feeling among some cycling retailers that the UKs exit from the European Union has made getting hold of bikes, parts, accessories and clothing a fair bit more challenginginthe UK. The issue was then compounded by the main factories shutting their doors in early 2020 due to the global pandemic; and if that wasnt enough, container prices have gone through the roof, with the cost being passed on to the customer.

It'ssomething that we at road.cc have ourselves felt, with the ability to get hold of bikes for review being complicated by the additional paperwork brought about by Brexit.

>Brexit and the bike industry: how the situation is evolving

But speaking at DigiBike, Dominic Langan, Madison's CEO, suggested that Brexit isnt solely to blame for the supply issues which continue to cause delays.

I think the whole market changed dramatically from March 2020," said Langan.

"The supply, just the demand for supplies just went through the roof, and why so we started with quite high stock levels. And we actually did pretty well for the first part of 2020.

"As time drew on, those supplies became depleted. And it just depends on each market where you know what items people are after. But certainly, you know, we held our own very well throughout 2020.

While 2020 was a good year for Madison, Langan points out that after that, it became more challenging because the whole world was after the same parts... And that's where the challenges really came about.

>Heres why the bike shortage isnt going away any time soon

If youre wondering when stock levels are going to get back to normal, Langan is wondering the same.

I think thats the question everyones asking, he said.

Our stock of Shimano is increasing every day now and we are seeing some good positive trends on that score.

"There are certain lines where we know were going to be challenged for stock all throughout this year, thats the reality of it, and were going to retain the rationing that weve done on B2B in order to try and ensure that every customer has a fair amount of opportunity to get that stock, so they havent got customers left high and dry in the store.

>Bike shortages to last until at least end-2022, say trade experts

But I think, overall, we should be seeing a much better position throughout this season. And certainly, towards the end of this year, I would expect us to be pretty much back to where weve been in the past and where wed like to be.

As demand for Shimano parts soared, so did the market for fakes. Langan says that this is a big concern and Shimano definitely take this incredibly seriously.

>An end to the global bike component shortage? Shimano invests 216 million in expanding production

He says that retailers and mechanics need to be incredibly careful about that because potentially the liabilities you would face if anything goes wrong, because they're not the same quality. They may look the same, but they are not the same. Shimano is doing lots in this regard.

Will this be the end of the parts shortage? We certainly hope so.

Read this article:

Bike supply chain woes could end this year and Brexit not solely to blame for Shimano shortages, claims Madison CEO - road.cc

Issued on: 01/03/2022 - 13:26Modified: 01/03/2022 - 13:24

Glasgow (AFP) A creativity festival to celebrate British ingenuity after Brexit, conceived before the pandemic, kicks off on Tuesday with project leaders insisting the show has nothing to do with nationalism.

The festival called "Unboxed: Creativity in the UK" draws inspiration from arts, science, engineering, technology and mathematics.

It has been allocated a budget of 120 million pounds (144 million euros, 160 million dollars) by the UK government.

The festival was launched by former prime minister Theresa May in 2018 who wanted "a once-in-a-generation celebration" after the UK's departure from the European Union.

It was soon widely referred to as a "festival of Brexit".

But since then, the UK has been living with the Covid pandemic for two years and inflation is at a 30-year high, with the cost of living skyrocketing.

"In the 10 different projects that are part of 'Unboxed' there is not a single project that is about Brexit -- be assured," Judith Palmer, director of The Poetry Society, told AFP.

The first project in the festival, "About Us", was previewed in Glasgow on Monday night.

It featured a choir accompanying a light display reflecting the interconnectedness of humanity with the cosmos and nature that was projected onto Paisley Cathedral.

"If you look back at the announcement in 2018, (it) was that we will stage a festival of creativity and innovation," said Martin Green, Unboxed's chief creative officer.

"It's easy to see how lots of other people turned that into whatever they wanted to turn it into," he said in February.

"I certainly wouldn't be working on it if it was (a Brexit festival). It's just one of those things that's gone into modern parlance."

Other projects include a 10-kilometre (around six-mile) scale model sculpture trail of the solar system in Northern Ireland, a decommissioned North Sea offshore platform which will be transformed into a public art installation and an immersive 3D experience in south London.

Projects will also he held in Birmingham, Blackpool, Caernarfon, Edinburgh, Hull, Inverness, Leicester, Newcastle and Swansea.

2022 AFP

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UK's 'festival of Brexit' begins, without nationalism - FRANCE 24 English

Best thing youve ever written?

I really feel that An Extra Pair of Hands is the most important thing Ive written. Truthfully, it took me a long time to decide whether to write it, because its very personal, but almost all carers feel invisible. Its crucial for both full-time and part-time carers to feel theyre not alone, and we need to speak up for each other.

I visit archives, museums and libraries I love research but my fiction is inspired by place and landscape, so the most important part of my research is in my feet. I can walk the land, whether Amsterdam, Paris or the Pyrenees, and call it work.

My husband Greg and I were childhood sweethearts. We met at 15. The most joyous thing about our marriage is that we have shared references and a sense of a long life, lived together. The fact that our families have known each other for so long made it possible for my parents and his mother to live with us.

My mother-in-law is 91, and frustrated to be in a wheelchair and to be dependent, but shes absolutely the best company. Every evening when I finish work, she says: Is it time for a restorative? I make her a gin and tonic and pour myself a glass of wine, and we sit and chat. Its a great privilege to be able to care for somebody you love. Im in a very lucky position as a writer with a supportive family.

My decision to leave a career in publishing in 1992 to write my first book, Becoming a Mother, was instructive. I was having a lovely time but I knew I didnt want to become a CEO. I went from a full-time salary to writing a book for a small advance while my husband was training to be a teacher. It was a tough year but liberating to discover that it wasnt the end of the world.

The absence of women in history books. Women were always there too, but history books were and sometimes still are written in institutes of learning closed to women which is why I launched the #womaninhistory campaign in January last year.

When I was at Oxford, I went on a Reclaim the Night march, having lived a very sheltered life. It became disruptive, with people throwing things, and I was genuinely frightened. University opened my eyes to unfairness and prejudice. Its nice being in a bubble, but Im glad it burst.

It was really tough launching the prize [in 1996]. Its successful and respected now, but early on, people would look me in the eye and say If women were any good, theyd win the real prizes. In 1991, all the shortlisted authors for the Booker Prize were male. Women working back then were often told, If you cant stand the heat ie working with the kind of man who thought it was ok to put his hand up your skirt get out of the kitchen. Now, joyously, my children say: Why did anyone put up with that? Theres been a fantastic shift.

There are people with integrity onboth sides : people who believe Brexit is genuinely good for the country, and people who genuinely believe it is not. But between that, theres an awful lot of dishonesty and ill faith. Brexit has made this a divided and ugly country. Its made everything polarised and binary. Youre either for or against. I write about periods of history, and I know that while leaders would happily destroy everybody on the opposite team, mostpeople want to live in harmony with their neighbours and have friendships with people who dont have the same views.

Caring is a feminist issue. The vast majority of carers both paid and unpaid are women, and there isnt enough thought for those who need more support. The Carers Allowance is the lowest of any allowance, and many women have to give up their jobs in order to care. Its long been an election promise to sort out our care crisis, but its a can thats being kicked down the road.

Kate Mosses stage adaptation of her novel The Taxidermists Daughter is at the Chichester Festival Theatre from 830 April: cft.org.uk. Her latest novel, The City of Tears, is out now in paperback (8.99, Pan Macmillan)

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Kate Mosse: 'Brexit has made this a divided and ugly country' - The Telegraph

Official Irish data for 2021 showed a surge in all-Ireland trade, with food and drink central to the spike in island-wide commerce recorded in the wake of the UK-EU post-Brexit trade deal.

Dublins Central Statistics Office (CSO) last month reported around 8bn (6.7bn) in total all-Ireland goods trade for last year, after both imports from and exports to Northern Ireland jumped by over 50% compared to 2020.

So whats been driving this surge in all-Ireland trade?

Irelands food and live animal imports from across the border climbed to just over 1bn (830m) from 2020s 714m figure, while exports jumped by a roughly equivalent amount to over 1.3bn.

At the same time, Irelands food and animal imports from Great Britain fell by over1bn to around 2bn, while exports dropped by around 300m similar to the rises reported for Northern Ireland.

We have seen a number of changes in our business relating to Brexit and the changed trading relationship between Ireland and the UK, said Conor Whelan, MD of Stafford Lynch, which includes Schwartz, San Pellegrino, John West, Tonys Chocolonely and Kikkoman among the brands it distributes in Ireland.

This has included more activity across the border, but also changes to how brand owners manage their supply chain into Ireland, and how retailers source product, Whelan said.

John West last year said it would ship directly to Ireland as a result of Brexit, bypassing a previously-used route via Britain, while Northern Ireland-based brands such as Finnebrogue, Mash Direct and Whites Oats have landed additional supply deals with retailers across Ireland.

And according to Michael Haverty, partner and senior research consultant at The Andersons Centre, overall, agri-food trade on the island of Ireland is up by around 42% in 2021 versus 2020, a definite shift, and the [Northern Ireland] protocol is a key influence.

The protocol to the UKs post-Brexit deal with the EU meant Northern Ireland stayed legally part of the customs territory of the UK, in the CSOs reading, but effectively remain[ed] within the EU single market for the movement of goods.

The deal in turn created an impetus for people to ask can this be sourced more locally?, according to Haverty.

Paul Kelly, director of Food Drink Ireland, part of the Irish Business and Employers Confederation (Ibec), said the percentages would suggest theres a huge increase [in food trade] across the border in both directions.

Conor Mulvihill, director of Dairy Industry Ireland, also part of Ibec, added the protocol has encouraged companies to invest in the all-island supply chain, particularly Northern Irish companies.

In December, the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), a state-funded thinktank in Dublin, described the increase in all-island trade as significant and likely explained by changes to supply chains, be it as a result of substitution by Irish and UK firms or firms redirecting trade through Northern Ireland, as well as more accurate reporting of Northern Ireland trade by UK firms since Brexit.

Border checks

As EU member state Ireland joined the rest of the bloc last year in implementing checks on British goods as part of the UKs post-Brexit deal with Brussels, Irish goods imports from Great Britain fell by almost 2.4bn as imports from Northern Ireland surged to the tune of around 1.6bn.

But at least some of the reported numeric increase in all-Ireland commerce could be a result of honing reporting requirements after Northern Ireland acquired its post-Brexit foot-in-both-camps status.

While in many cases the increases [in all-Ireland trade] are explained by changes to supply chains, according to the CSO, in some cases, traders reported that they had previously incorrectly reported their trading partner as Great Britain, when in fact it should have been Northern Ireland.

The post-Brexit flux has made it hard to tell whether or not all-Ireland trade peaked last year ahead of something like a reversion to pre-Brexit supply chains.

According to Martina Lawless, economist at the ESRI, the last quarter of the year saw a fairly significant pick-up in the level of Irish imports from Great Britain, suggesting supply chains linking the two islands started to find their feet again after a bevy of disruptions related to Brexit, coronavirus restrictions, spiking commodity prices and production costs.

The most obvious reason for this is likely to be a learning or adjustment period that took a bit of time but has now been bedded down, Lawless said.

Covid complications

EU data updated last week showed that although the UKs food and general goods trades with the EU fell last year compared to pre-pandemic levels, they were up compared to 2020 and had regained something close to pre-pandemic monthly numbers by late 2021.

According to Haverty, it is difficult to say if a peak in all-Ireland trade was reached last year as part of a post-Brexit spike, as you also have the pandemic thrown in and a global-level demand [for many food commodities] outstripping supply.

Mash Direct COO Jack Hamilton also said: Covid makes it difficult to make any direct comparisons between the pre and post-Brexit periods, but noted his brand was seeing growth in Britain as well as Ireland.

Over the past few months we have got new national [British] listings as well, across into Morrisons and Sainsburys, he said.

And while increasing all-island trade was likely driven by post-Brexit customs issues, including veterinary health checks and organic certification, according to Whelan, significant supply chain challenges post-pandemic also contributed.

Moreover, although imports plummeted, Irish exports to Great Britain, which has not applied reciprocal checks on goods going east across the Irish Sea, jumped by 17% last year compared to the pandemic nadir seen in 2020, when global trade slumped and most major economies fell into recession.

And while Bord Bia in January described a shift in some categories to greater exports to Northern Ireland rather than to Great Britain, which it attributed in part to serving new customers in Northern Ireland, it added the region remained an easy route for onward shipment to northern parts of Britain.

The future of the protocol

Future trade fluctuations, including for food and agriculture, were going to be dependent on what the UK government and EU agree in terms of the protocol, Haverty said.

Earlier this month Northern Irelands agriculture minister, Edwin Poots of the pro-Brexit Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), tried to ban protocol checks on food dispatched to Northern Ireland from Great Britain.

Though Poots order was put on hold by a Belfast court, his party since said it would refuse to allow a government to be set up in Northern Ireland after May elections unless the checks were dispensed with.

According to a House of Commons report published in January, although grace periods delayed some checks and preparations, the protocol had a significant impact on Northern Ireland trade, including causing considerable diversion of trade to Ireland.

As well as being politically divisive, with the DUP fearing being edged into a de facto all-Ireland economy, the checks were costing Northern Ireland over 2m a day, opponents argued.

But despite the checks, traffic between Britain and Northern Ireland is up around 10%, whilst traffic between the Republic of Ireland and Britain is down around 15% to 20% as cargo switches onto domestic (intra-UK) routes and towards the unaccompanied freight model, according to Stephen Carr, group commercial director at Peel Ports, which operates on both sides of the Irish Sea.

Those fluctuations came as overall Irish Sea traffic dropped by around 6% on pre-pandemic levels, a fall primarily due to land-bridge traffic, which would normally cross Britain to connect between Ireland and the EU, diverting onto direct routes to the Continent from Ireland, said Carr.

Direct to Europe

The post-Brexit trade system prompted an increase in ferry and freight links between Ireland and mainland Europe, as traders sought to send goods directly to the rest of the EU rather than transit post-Brexit Britain.

A lot of trade from the island to the continent is shifting to direct routes, said Kelly of Food Drink Ireland.

Northern Ireland-based exporters who sell in the EU could be contributing to this trend, as sending goods to the continent via the expanding number of connections out of Cork, Dublin or Rosslare appeared to be the path of least resistance, compared to sending via the Great Britain land-bridge, according to Haverty.

And according to the website of Invest Northern Ireland, the official foreign investment agency, the regions post-Brexit status has offered dual access to multinationals seeking a potential gateway for the sale of goods to two of the worlds largest markets.

Invest Northern Irelands promotional material said the region was the only place where businesses can operate free from customs declarations, rules of origin certificates and non-tariff barriers on the sale of goods to both GB and the EU.

An Invest Northern Ireland spokeswoman listed key strengths including a talented and loyal workforce, advanced infrastructure, a pro-business environment, competitive operating costs and proximity to major markets as selling points to would-be investors.

Among those to take the plunge was South Africas Moorcroft Foods, which recently announced it would manufacture dried meat products in Newtownards after it identified real growth opportunities for our products across the UK, Republic of Ireland and further afield.

Whatever happens next with the Northern Ireland protocol, its clear the past year has laid the ground for lasting change in the island of Irelands food sector.

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How has Brexit shaped a new all-Ireland food sector? - The Grocer

While the UK left the EU in 2021, Gibraltar was not included in Brexit negotiations, which led to Britain, Brussels and Spain agreeing a temporary deal for the Rock. However, Spain has now prevented commercial vehicles registered in Gibraltar from crossing the border into the British Overseas Territory due to post-Brexit rules.

In a press release, the Gibraltarian government explained Spanish border authorities have prevented several vehicles driven by British citizens and Gibraltarians from crossing the border on Wednesday morning.

It said: "The drivers of these vehicles have been informed that they must have a work permit in Spain, or in a member country of the European Union, in order to be able to carry out commercial activity there.

The measure is aimed "specifically at third country nationals not residents in the EU, as the problem appears to be the nationality of the driver" as "EU drivers who are employed in Gibraltar have been allowed to continue to operate in Spain".

The Gibraltar Government indicated "regrettably" Spain has thereby "broken the existing reciprocity agreement".

Brexit put an end to the EU legal framework under which carriers in Gibraltar operated on the basis of their EU licences.

Since then, Gibraltar preserved the national legislation by allowing EU hauliers to continue operating in Gibraltar and in return, Gibraltarian hauliers have been able to continue operating in Spain.

The statement suggested reciprocity on the rules has been broken, and as a result it will also introduce a system of registration and licensing for EU hauliers seeking access to the colony.

It said: "Importantly, EU hauliers will not be able to operate in the territory of Gibraltar unless they have been issued with a Gibraltar road transport permit from the date of entry into force of the new regime.

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It comes as negotiations between the UK and the EU on the future relationship of Gibraltar have resumed in London.

This is the sixth round of negotiations, following the one held in Brussels in February.

Spain's foreign minister, Jos Manuel Albares, said at the time negotiators were aiming for a deal by Easter, but would meet again for "as many rounds as necessary".

He ruled out any blockages to the Gibraltar agreement and said: "It's getting closer and closer."

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Mr Albares added a "significant part" of the treaty had "already been agreed" although nothing is "agreed until everything is agreed".

He said: "A significant part of [the treaty] has already been agreed, although nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.

And I cant go into details. [But] I have the sense that we are all rowing in the same direction.

"As we approach the end of the negotiation, which is almost at 99 percent, there is more tension, but for us, for the government of Pedro Snchez, there will be no lack of generosity in any practical or daily aspect.

"I perceive on the other side that good will on their part."

Agreed by the UK and Spain at the end of 2020 although not legally binding, Gibraltar is currently a part of the Schengen passport-free area.

It comes after the Rocks Government has released a Guidance to Citizens booklet which outlines plans for the future of the British Overseas Territory if the UK and EU fail to reach an agreement after Brexit.

Signed off by Chief Minister Fabian Picardo and Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Garcia, they said: The Government remains committed to the framework agreement concluded together with the United Kingdom and Spain as the way forward.

However, since the UK or Gibraltar would never accept an agreement which would sacrifice fundamentals or put Gibraltars future prosperity in jeopardy, we must also be ready to walk away.

Therefore we must plan for an agreement and for no agreement at the same time.

This means that we all have a duty to prepare Gibraltar for the possibility of a Non-Negotiated Outcome (NNO).

Additional reporting from Maria Ortega

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