In response to the PAC report on Brexit, William Bain, Head of the Trade Policy at the BCC, said:

“This Report reflects the lived experiences on EU trade that more than a thousand small and medium-sized firms have shared with the BCC over the past six months. 60% of exporters told us last autumn that getting goods over to EU customers had become more difficult since January 2021. We welcome the recommendation that the UK Government should identify opportunities to reduce border costs and burdens upon traders and provide measures to financially support SMEs.

“The BCC has five key actions we believe the UK Government and EU could agree upon now. From import VAT to plant and food checks, restricted business travel to UKCA markings, SMEs want improvements to the trade deal to get it working better for business. As the report says, with the EU Entry and Exit System coming on stream, the risk of outbound delays on good movements could well persist and must be averted in plenty of time before the autumn.”

Read the full PAC report here.