Capital Economy, Business and Finance
After Brexit, the UK government acquired a new freedom to inspect goods shipments from the EU for compliance with new British safety and security standards. It’s not a freedom the UK has so far been minded to use. Inspections that were initially due to start in 2022 were postponed to October this year and have now been postponed again to next March. This makes good sense given EU safety and security standards were never considered lax pre-Brexit, obviating any need to check them now except to find a purpose for Brexit. But it makes no sense for businesses that have spent millions preparing for successive deadlines only to have them pushed back. The argument against continued membership of the single market and / or customs union after leaving the EU was that it would turn the UK into a rule-taker. It has become a rule what-the-hecker instead.
