UK warns of wider disruption if businesses do not prepare for end of EU transition

Earlier, the government warned British trucks could face delays of up to two days to enter Europe and queues of around 7,000 lorries after Britain leaves the bloc, disrupting imports and exports of crucial goods. Gove, the minister overseeing the Brexit talks, told the logistics and freight industry that truck drivers would face new customs controls and processes irrespective of whether a trade deal can be agreed between the two sides.

Britain faces wider disruption at the end of its transition agreement this year with the European Union if businesses do not take the deadline seriously and prepare for it, Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove told parliament on Wednesday.

"The consequences of a lack of business preparedness will be not just economic opportunities missed for those companies who don't prepare, but potentially much wider disruption," Gove said. Earlier, the government warned British trucks could face delays of up to two days to enter Europe and queues of around 7,000 lorries after Britain leaves the bloc, disrupting imports and exports of crucial goods.

Gove, the minister overseeing the Brexit talks, told the logistics and freight industry that truck drivers would face new customs controls and processes irrespective of whether a trade deal can be agreed between the two sides. He said under the government's reasonable worst-case scenario, up to 70% of trucks travelling to the EU might not be ready for new border controls.

"This could lead to maximum queues of around 7,000 port-bound trucks in Kent (in southeastern England) and associated maximum delays of up to two days," he said. Britain formally left the bloc in January but remains in a status quo transition period that will expire at the end of this year. The government assumes EU member states will impose third-country controls on Britain at the end of the transition period.

"Irrespective of the outcome of negotiations between the UK and EU, traders will face new customs controls and processes," he said. "Simply put, if traders, both in the UK and EU, have not completed the right paperwork, their goods will be stopped when entering the EU and disruption will occur." A government spokesman said this was not a forecast or prediction of what will happen but rather a "stretching scenario".

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