UK plagued by post-Brexit customs uncertainty: Report

LONDON

Britain's post-Brexit border with the EU has been plagued by chronic delays and uncertainty, ramping up costs for businesses and the government, the nation's spending watchdog said on Monday.

The U.K. departed from the European Union in January 2021 following a standstill transition period but has still yet to complete full implementation of post-Brexit customs controls.

"The U.K. leaving the EU created a large-scale change in arrangements for the movement of goods across the border," said National Audit Office (NAO) boss Gareth Davies in a report on the situation.

"However, more than three years after the end of the transition period, it is still not clear when full controls will be in place."

When the U.K. left the European single market and customs union on Jan. 1, 2021, the EU immediately implemented customs controls for goods heading from the United Kingdom into the bloc.

But the U.K. government has delayed the introduction of customs checks five times for goods heading into the country, citing delays with infrastructure and technology.

Controls on imports of food, plant and animal products from the EU, have now belatedly begun but not in their entirety.

U.K. businesses have complained that the lack of checks on EU imports put their continental competitors at an advantage and that they are having to pass on higher administration costs to customers.

"Government has repeatedly changed and deferred its plans for the introduction of full import controls following the U.K.’s exit from the European Union," the NAO report added on Monday.

"This has caused uncertainty for businesses and extra costs for government and ports."