Stories today major on how the hidden implications of Brexit are starting to be uncovered
In this issue
- The Scottish government – supported by Stormont – won’t do checks at ports
- No NI MPs on Westminster committee scrutinising the EU/UK talks – but Scots and Welsh will be there
- UK will use the Navy to enforce fishing policy – and admits more paperwork for fish exporters
- And if you can’t stand the heat, don’t be a restaurant owner in post-Brexit UK
Scottish government seeks clarity over Irish Sea border
The Scottish government has said it is seeking clarity from Westminster on whether it will be responsible for implementing the Irish Sea border.
That border refers to new controls on GB to NI trade at the end of the Brexit transition period.
A NI minister said his Scottish counterparts told him they would not accept new checks at Scottish ports.
The EU has warned that if the UK does not begin preparing for checks it will jeopardise trade talks.
The Brexit deal means some new checks and processes for goods moving between Northern Ireland and other parts of the UK.
The expectation of the freight industry is that some of those checks will take place at Scottish ports.
However, Stormont’s Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots told the assembly this week that Scottish ministers were not willing to co-operate with new controls.
Stormont’s Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots said that Scottish ministers told him they were not willing to co-operate with new controls
Mr Poots said: “Scotland was as firm as I was in terms of this, that we weren’t putting infrastructure at our ports to facilitate this.”
In response, a Scottish government spokeswoman said:”The Scottish government has been seeking clarity on how the UK Government intends to fulfil its legal obligations under the protocol, and the implications for Scottish government responsibilities.” BBC NI news 4 Mar
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-
Dismay as north’s MPs not included on Westminster Brexit committee
NOT a single Northern Ireland MP has been appointed to the Westminster committee that will scrutinise the negotiations on the UK’s future relationship with the EU.
The 20-member Committee on the Future Relationship with the European Union includes representatives from England, Wales and Scotland but none from this side of the Irish Sea.
In all, the committee’s membership consists of 11 Conservatives, seven Labour and two Scottish National Party representatives.
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said it was “incredible” that none of the 11 MPs who take their seats had been selected to sit on the committee.
Aodhán Connolly, director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, said it was “deeply disappointing” that the north had no representation on the committee, given that the region will be “affected most by any trade deal or lack thereof”.
“While we do of course have MPs on the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, it is simply not good enough that we don’t have a voice at this table,” he said. Irish News 4 Mar
Fishing: UK to use Navy to protect its waters, as exporters face “friction”
The environment secretary George Eustice has warned the EU that the UK has taken “sufficient” steps to protect its waters after Brexit, as fears grow of a French blockade.
He also said that British firms exporting fish to the EU will face “some friction” after the post-Brexit transition period ends
On fisheries protection, Mr Eustice said the royal navy boasts three extra vessels, the Home Office will provide a further four and the government can call in help from the private sector
Ministers have reportedly been told of a “nightmare” scenario, in which French fishermen would blockade ports and paralyse cross-Channel trade at the end of the year.
Officials are worried that Calais is uniquely vulnerable to even a small-scale protest against attempts to restrict the access of EU fishing fleets to UK waters.
On the trade talks with the EU he insisted the UK had a “strong hand” over access to its fishing waters in a deal with the EU.
Mr Eustice said insisted EU vessels would see some reduction in access to British waters, but it was “too early to say what access we would grant”.
He said that the government’s decision to become an “independent country” would, however, lead to increased administration for those exporting to the EU.
“That does mean that there will be some friction at the border,” he told peers.
“There probably will be a need for export health certificates and catch certificates for instance.
The 27-nation bloc has also said the level of access the UK grants to its waters will impact on the terms of the overall trade deal it offers to the UK.
This could be particularly important for UK fishermen selling products into the EU – currently three quarters of UK fish exports are sold in the bloc. BBC news 4 Mar
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-
In Brexit Britain, there may no longer be too many cooks in the kitchen
Damian Wawrzyniak came to Britain 16 years ago before gaining renown working as the head chef at the London Olympics and cooking for members of the royal family.
But these days he spends his time worrying about finding enough trained staff for his restaurant and another business he wants to open this year.
The 40-year-old said he will have to raise prices in his restaurant by about 20% if he has to pay his waiters and junior chefs the minimum salary set by the government to bring European Union nationals to Britain to work from next year.
Wawrzyniak said about 70% of his staff come from the EU and he has yet to receive a single application for a chef position he advertised last month.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government recently outlined plans to close the borders to unskilled workers, ending the era of cheap labor from the EU in restaurants, hotels and factories.
EU citizens make up about a quarter of the 3 million workers in Britain’s hospitality industry, the country’s fourth-biggest employer, according to a KPMG report. In London, about 75% of waiting staff and 25% of chefs are from the EU.
Wawrzyniak said staff shortages mean he can only open his restaurant for five days, rather than seven, and during the evenings on weekdays.
He complains each morning he has to be at work at 6:00 GMT to make fresh bread because he is unable to find a qualified baker to do the work. “I can’t find chefs. I am here all the time,” he said.
Mark Jones, the chief executive of Carluccio’s which runs a chain of Italian restaurants, predicts one in 10 restaurants in Britain may have to close because of the changes, which will increase costs at a time when restaurants are already being challenged by online food delivery groups. Reuters 4 Mar
