In a written statement to the public, the Brexit opportunities minister said controls that would take effect on July 1 would not be imposed in 2022. “There will be no further controls on imports of EU products this year – companies can stop preparing for July now,” said Rees-Mogg. Mr Rees-Mogg suggested the government plan a full overhaul of border control plans – revealing that the end of 2023 was the target for a brand new “control regime”. The Independent revealed last month that the government was going to postpone import controls amid growing fears that they would exacerbate the cost-of-living crisis. Mr Rees-Mogg cited pressure on the cost of living as the main reason for the move – but blamed rising costs on “Russia’s war on Ukraine and energy prices”. The Brexit Minister for Opportunities added: “Therefore, it would be wrong to impose new administrative burdens and risk of disruption to ports and supply chains at this point.” The health and phytosanitary controls (SPS) scheduled for July 1 will include controls on imports of agricultural and plant products, adding about £ 1 billion to trade costs. There were also concerns that British ports did not have the necessary infrastructure – or veterinary expertise – required for the new strict controls, which include random physical inspections. The Cold Chain Federation and the British Meat Processors were among the industrial groups that called for the controls, which had already been delayed several times, to be postponed again this year, calling the additional controls a “nightmare” for small businesses. The Federation of Small Enterprises welcomed the government’s decision on Thursday. “This move will give them more time to prepare for future changes and re-evaluate supply chains,” said President Martin McTague. Despite spending millions on Border Control Stations, Mr Rees-Mogg said the government would “speed up” plans to “digitize Britain’s borders” in a bid to reduce the continuing commercial imagination. Cold Chain Federation chief Shane Brennan also backed the government’s reversal, saying the controls “would make a bad situation much worse.” He welcomed Mr Rees-Mogg’s commitment to “review the way these controls work”. Meanwhile, Europe Minister James Cleverley told a parliamentary committee on Thursday that the UK and the EU were at a dead end over changes to the Northern Ireland Protocol. “The truth is that we have reached a dead end and I do not think it is due to a lack of goodwill, and I think it is more due to what we consider in the UK to be an extremely limited negotiating mandate (EU).” he said. Regarding the protocol, Mr. Smart said: “It does not work. “It does not do what it’s supposed to do; and that consequently causes tensions in the NI community, which we believe need to be addressed.” Warning of possible violence in the future, Mr. Smart said: “Many of us have experienced problems. “We are absolutely determined to protect the Good Friday Agreement and not to return to this point in time.” However, the minister did not give any details about the draft law that is said to be drafted in order to “unilaterally” “tear” parts of the protocol that the Johnson government does not like. “We are looking at a number of options for what we can do to alleviate these tensions – I do not want to go any further,” he said.
