Brexit 2022 after the UK left the EU at the end of 31 January 2020 and as the transition continues to full departure, there are important dates along the way. The focus in this article is the current year and expectations during 2022.
Taking into consideration that the UK left just as the pandemic was about to begin, means that all industries have had to face challenges both expected and unexpected. Some will have managed with this challenge better than others. So what are the potential obstacles in this year?
Goods leaving Great Britain from 1 January 2022
From 1 January 2022, exports between Great Britain and the EU will be subject to full customs controls. This means that goods must be presented to customs and the export declarations must be entered into HMRC systems to decide if any further physical checks are required. For full details: GOV.UK’s Brexit: business guidance.
Apart from speculation regarding as to how this may or may not cause disruption and to what extent, it remains to be seen if these checks will impact supply chains.
Operation Brock
This is the project first reported in 2018 where part of the M20 motorway would be used as a lorry park to counter any potential Brexit jams at Channel ports. However, this will now itself cause a year of disruption as the barrier needs to be moved from the edge to the middle of the motorway. This will mean overnight closures to parts of the motorway, which connects from London to Folkestone. This commences in January and lanes will be closed on both sides for an expected nine months.
The Guardian, Paul Bartlett, Ashford borough council’s deputy leader: “It seems extraordinary for it to take 12 months. They’ve sent a very long letter out about it but it doesn’t give a great deal of information about why they are doing it.” .
HGV drivers in Brexit 2022
Lorry Driver Shortages Lead To Supply Chain Issues was an article published in August reporting a 100,000 shortfall. The good news is that this shortfall has come down to 85,000. The government has been tackling the issue with a concerted effort to get potential drivers trained and tested in a short a time as possible.
However, experts suggest that more needs to be done if lorry driving is to be made a longer and more attractive option as an actual long term career. The sector is also suffering from drivers switching to courier driving, which is becoming the more attractive sector for trained drivers to work in.
Cabotage with Brexit 2022
Cabotage In The UK was a potentially controversial move by the government during supply chain issues back in October and it will be in place until March. Will the government extend it beyond March? This with the newly trained drivers should keep things smoother in the supply chain. On the flip side, extending it could be seen by British haulage companies as an extension to being undercut by the lower costing European carrier.
Costs in 2022
Make UK, is the industry body representing manufacturing firms. The warning is that Brexit will add to additional, increased costs for British industry. Main concerns are that there will be further customs delays and extra red tape to tackle.
“One year on from the end of the transition period, two-thirds of industrial company leaders in its survey of 228 firms said Brexit had moderately or significantly hampered their business. More than half of firms warned they were likely to suffer further damage this year from customs delays due to import checks and changes to product labelling.” Brexit changes will add to soaring costs in 2022, warn UK manufacturers .
What do we think?
We have no crystal ball to turn to and can only speculate on the various topics. Only as the year progresses will we know what actually happens.
Stay one step ahead of your competitors and learn more about how we can help at Same Day Couriers Direct during the coming year, just get in touch with our friendly and helpful team on 0333 772 1010 or use our contact form.