The government has now suggested how it will respond to the suggestion that Dover will cease to function in the case of a No Deal Brexit. According to the FT:
The UK government will instruct officials to relax efforts to collect border taxes if Britain leaves the EU without a withdrawal deal, a junior minister told peers on Thursday.
Speaking to a House of Lords subcommittee, Mel Stride, financial secretary to the Treasury, said the government knew it would have to balance security concerns, revenue expectations and the pressure to keep goods flowing across borders.
“We will not compromise on security,” Mr Stride said. “But there will, perhaps particularly in the case of a place like Dover, where you have to keep flow moving very quickly or you have all sorts of problems, there will be a trade off between keeping the flow going and revenue protection.”
He added: “The priority will be to keep flow moving”.
This is is a quite extraordinary statement. First, it acknowledges that there will be a break down in law and order.
Second, it acknowledges that the resultin criminality will be permitted.
Third, it admits that an unfair playing field, biased against honest domestic businesses, will be created as importers not paying VAT will be able to undermine them.
Fourth, it ignores that the problems will not just be on imports; there will also (and glaringly obviously) be an issue on exports, where the issue will be just as significant, if not more so as every driver and vehicle will need to be checked for the right paperwork as well as the load, with payment being required.
Fifth, with no timescale being given maybe Mr Stride would like to give an estimate of this uncontested proposal? None has been seen. He might also like to consider why it is discriminatory for Dover.
But most of all, shouldn't publicity be given to the fact that the government is now admitting that no deal Brexit now means a breakdown in the machinery of government? When a government realises the machinery of tax will no longer function one of its most basic functions has failed. And that is what Mel Strife has admitted will happen. And, apparently, we now think that a price worth paying fir the dogmatic stupidity of Brexit.
I despair.
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On the contrary Richard you are implying that despite European union being a misguided unsustainable political experiment we must play along with it as it might cause a few problems and hardships within UK Governmental control. On the same basis Hitler would have been given the free run over Europe, surely?
That is so stupid (I use the word advisedly) I cannot be bothered to engage with you
It’s a while since I laughed out loud on here as the situation is becoming more desperate every day, so thanks, Peter.
To some of the neo-liberal persuasion, this will sound like nirvana.
Is it possible that we could actually run out of words to describe this mess?
Richard
If Mr Stride is suggesting a relaxation of collecting taxes at Borders, it won’t just apply to Dover, but all entry points (including the ones between NI and ROI).
A mindset could develop among the relevant Officials to stop collecting any border-related taxes to keep flow moving – a [discretionary] relaxation which is what I read Mr Stride’s comments, changes into a ‘de facto’ exemption at the point of entry.
Try not to despair, Richard. At least you’re clearly pointing out the risks.
The problem is simple: mass smuggling will follow
Given what is said in this Progressive Pulse piece, it would seem this is already happening, and that HMRC should be renamed HMNRNC = Her Majesty’s NON-Revenue and NON-Customs:
http://www.progressivepulse.org/brexit/hm-customs-are-completely-absent-at-borders
I have an FOI in on this
“The problem is simple: mass smuggling will follow”
If the government is in effect ceasing to demand customs and excise duties, surely the transit of goods across the border, scot free ceases by definition to be ‘smuggling’ doesn’t it ?
Doesn’t sound like much of a strategy however. As most criminal offences are not properly brought to justice perhaps we should just disband the police force aswell while we’re at it.
Anything else we might wish to stop doing because it’s too difficult ?
So much for ‘Take Back Control’ (of our Borders)!
More like ‘Anything Goes’ (or comes).
You literally could not have made it up
Having resumed reading your blog after a very busy and challenging period, and having followed various of the links pertaining to Brexit in some of your blogs and other analytical sites, an idea took hold. At first, I didn’t think it was credible, but it has stuck and will not now go away.
It is this: if, as looks increasingly likely, we crash out with no deal, I think this country will see martial law imposed within 6 months at the very most (and I suspect a lot sooner.) I genuinely think most people don’t have a clue just what could be coming.
Welcome back
If food supplies collapse give it days, not months
I expect to see American troops on our streets helping to restore order.
Then (and or) an ‘economic programme’ from the Trump administration to help England back to its feet that will just be expansionary economic policy for the USA. Liam Fox will be over the moon.
It could happen. American capitalism loves crises.
Wondering who listened to the BBC R4 drama ‘Dangerous Visions – First World Problems’ (unfortunately not on iPlayer), which foresaw the country drifting into civil war post Brexit….
I didn’t
The risk is real
Isn’t it about time The Queen got involved and stopped this mess? They are after all “her ministers”. Just listen to the Queens speech each year.
I hope you don’t really think that
As long as the British Tax Havens are preserved………………………..
The Independent put in a FoI over how many Customs Officers we have … rejected as it would cost too much to count them! – Yes, they don’t know, so would have to count them!!
(see https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-customs-officers-eu-uk-no-deal-europe-ports-airports-home-office-a8456881.html )
It would appear the Government not only doesn’t know where it’s going with Brexit, it doesn’t know where it’s starting from.
Is this ignorance the real reason for the Government not wanting a hard border either on the intra-Irish border, or in the Irish Sea?
I will see what they say to mine….