How confident are you in a good deal for the UK?

growstuff

The French Government has said that 'in the next few hours' it will establish a 'protocol to ensure that movement from the UK can resume'.

Where did you see that reported Retiredwell?

It's not just France which has banned travel from the UK. Ireland has too. The effects might not be quite so dramatic, but it will have an impact on trade of fresh produce. Other countries have also imposed bans, as the UK did on Denmark.

It's on the front page of Sky News growstuff. They are only speaking on the movement of trucks and nothing else at this time. It seems impossible now to copy and paste a link from Sky News, at least on an Android device.

It will has come to something when it takes another government to tell the UK government how it should treat its workers when it comes to hygiene safety.

growstuff

The French Government has said that 'in the next few hours' it will establish a 'protocol to ensure that movement from the UK can resume'.

Where did you see that reported Retiredwell?

It's not just France which has banned travel from the UK. Ireland has too. The effects might not be quite so dramatic, but it will have an impact on trade of fresh produce. Other countries have also imposed bans, as the UK did on Denmark.

If that is true, once again Europe is coming to our help.

If Hunt is correct about the vaccine, then I am fervently hoping that Europe will be kind enough to supply us with vaccine.

We had the chance to join with them in the purchase and distribution, but these chancers refused the offer.

The French Government has said that 'in the next few hours' it will establish a 'protocol to ensure that movement from the UK can resume'.

Where did you see that reported Retiredwell?

It's not just France which has banned travel from the UK. Ireland has too. The effects might not be quite so dramatic, but it will have an impact on trade of fresh produce. Other countries have also imposed bans, as the UK did on Denmark.

It's disgraceful the way that those truck drivers have been treated being stuck on the side of the M20 towards Dover with no toilet facilities or fresh food supplies for up to twenty hours. They have not been able to leave those vehicles as the queue has been very slowly moving forward throughout that time. All else pales into insignificance when anyone speaks on the treatment of people due to Brexit and Covid-19.

It is being reported that it was seeing those awful unhygienic pictures on the media in the middle of a pandemic that determined the French government's decision to stop the flow of trucks from British Ports.

I don't think the UK has much justification for complaining. A few days ago, it was threatening to send gun boats into the Channel.

Drivers stuck on M20 for at least 48 hrs. The government has failed to prepare in time for the queues that they knew was going to happen. So the drivers have no toilet facilities, no washing facilities, no food facilities.

The French hauliers are refusing to come to the U.K. because they cannot afford delay.

I think that the problem in Kent started by firms buying in when it was clear that the talks were going nowhere and then the closure has just made things worse.
Well we are now what the Brexiteers wanted an isolated island !
Quite honestly this government couldn't find their way out of a paper bag . Did anyone else hear the interview with the Head teacher on R4 this morning. ? It's disgraceful the way schools have been treated.

David0205

If you want to blame someone blame the ERG they forced Cameron to hold a referendum and lied their way to winning.

and the ERG who appointed Cummings to ensure Johnson toed their line, as their puppet- and were behing all the lies.

I do think they have stuff on Johnson that they threaten hi with on a regular basis (to do with Russian oligarchs and Bunga Bunga parties, etc).

The ERG who is now preventing him from doing any kind of Deal- whilst seeing the massive effect it, + Covid and new strain combined- will do to the country and its people.

GrannyGravy13

If fishing is so insignificant why is it that the French are adamant that they want 75% share and access to UK territorial waters?

Macron is up for election. He, like Johnson, will have political reasons not to budge on fish. Politics often doesn’t act in the best interests of the country. (See current administration for many examples).

GrannyGravy13

If fishing is so insignificant why is it that the French are adamant that they want 75% share and access to UK territorial waters?

Quite honestly that is the least of our problems today.

Shops heaving with panic buyers, contributing to the superspreaders endeavour to infect us all.

GrannyGravy13

If fishing is so insignificant why is it that the French are adamant that they want 75% share and access to UK territorial waters?

Perhaps it's because the French actually like and eat the fish they catch there (and have been catching there for hundreds of years) and see no reason to pay a middleman to catch and export it to them.

Or perhaps they're just demonstrating that 2 can play at the bloody minded country game.

I really think that a sensible business person could have worked out from the start that fish is a red herring in this Brexit game.:-)

If fishing is so insignificant why is it that the French are adamant that they want 75% share and access to UK territorial waters?

If you want to blame someone blame the ERG they forced Cameron to hold a referendum and lied their way to winning.

Apologies if this has already been mentioned previously.
I blame Cameron for this fiasco. He had the bright idea that by offering the British people a referendum on the EU he would have a thumping Remain vote, thereby shutting up the Euro-sceptics in the Tory party and pulling the rug out from underneath Nigel Farage. Promises from him pre-vote that he would stay as PM didn't last long when he threw his toys out of the pram the next day. People voted Leave mainly based on stopping the tidal wave of immigration. We live on a small island and our infrastructure is in crisis with the huge numbers arriving here. I don't feel enough information was given to the country before the referendum on what leaving the EU would mean. People were blinkered by the immigration issue. Now we are starting to see all the other areas where Leave is not the right option. Bit late, now.

It appears that a shortage of containers in China has also compounded the problem

This was happening weeks ago. Due to the virus. So not totally due to Brexit.

The cost of importing goods has rocketed in recent weeks after the pandemic knocked demand and production around the world out of sync. Shipping executives have reported shortages of containers in China, pushing up prices just as British companies build up Brexit stockpiles.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/dec/16/british-port-disruption-importers-call-for-urgent-inquiry-by-mps

As Whitewavemark 2 said, it's a perfect storm

Lemongrove, the original delays and queues at Dover and Folkstone were caused by Brexit due to Businesses stocking up prior to January 1st. That was brought about due to this and former Tory governments incompetence in not concluding a trade deal with the EU.

The Covid Crisis now has compounded the above with the ban on all freight movements across the channel due to the alarm the British government set off within European Union members in stating the virus was "out of control" in Britain.

Brexit now has come back into the above situation in that Britain is no longer a member of the European Union and therefore does not have access to its structures to talk to those member states on an equal member basis regarding the ban.

Once more it seems the leavers are in total denial of what they have brought about.

We should put Brexit on the back burner for now

Madness to be discussing it at the moment

We are in the hands of a bunch of witless vandals.

No deal will simply pile misery on misery, with a rise in prices that the vast army of unemployed can’t afford.

It is the perfect storm.

Glad we are in safe hands

I don’t think there is a possibility of a temporary halt now, we have had 12 months already and seem to be as far apart as possible, both sides are determined not to move.

To be honest it has got to the stage where tariffs are the best option to end the uncertainty, and we “tough out” any cross channel disruption, it’s not a case of winners or losers, everyone looses.

Now is the time to accept No Deal and stop the haggling

lemongrove

Retiredwell

No toilet facilities are being provided for those drivers caught up in those jams on the M20 so they are being forced to urinate in Bottles or anything else they can find and then throw it out on the side of the motorway.

So, this is "taking back control". I hope all who voted leave are proud of themselves on seeing this.

Nonsense!
The Dover queues have nothing to do with Brexit....it’s all about Covid.

It is both if you were being entirely honest lemon

Businesses are trying quite rationally to stock up before the Brexit disaster and now we have the added burden of Covid.

If brexiters had any thought or loyalty to our country they would be calling for at least a temporary halt to the falling over the cliff on 1st January, but self interest is all that matters.

Retiredwell

No toilet facilities are being provided for those drivers caught up in those jams on the M20 so they are being forced to urinate in Bottles or anything else they can find and then throw it out on the side of the motorway.

So, this is "taking back control". I hope all who voted leave are proud of themselves on seeing this.

Nonsense!
The Dover queues have nothing to do with Brexit....it’s all about Covid.

I admit to not reading the whole thread but I am utterly amazed if anyone thinks that we can get a good deal! The whole thing is an utter disaster- obvious from the very start.

Folly for sure, when the referendum was announced my main objection was that the hassle caused by leaving would not be worth any gains. No way did I anticipate the amount of acrimony that has happened since, Covid on top of all the Brexit uncertainty, now cross channel ban, what did we do to deserve this.

It looks like there is not going to be a Brexit deal it will be WTO rules, then everything will be negotiated piecemeal, no deadlines there, the worst possible outcome, congratulations Brexit voters.

Agree with Varian - Brexit has been an expensive ill conceived folly from the start even without Covid. I would like to see the transition period extended until Covid has been sorted as Nicola Sturgeon wants. Brexit only benefits a tiny number of right wing leeches and crucifies the rest of us. Based on lies on lies and misinformation from day one.

The country deserves a second referendum now we so much more. Polticians who knowlingly lie held to account, cronyism in politics made a criminal offence.

The system is rotten and needs updating across the board starting with a fair voting system. As regards the EU we should be part of it but look after our own interests more effectively. Balance the economy away from serives towards better mix of services and manufacturing.