- UK supermarkets have been asked to stockpile food and essentials as Britain moves towards a no-deal Brexit.
- Prime Minister Boris Johnson is due to hold talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday to decide whether their trade talks have any future.
- Johnson said Friday that “very likely” negotiations would fail.
- British ports are already experiencing congestion and delays due to stock filling ahead of a deal Brexit.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Boris Johnson’s government has told UK supermarkets to start stopping food and other essentials with just a few hours to go until the EU deadline for the Brexit trade deal.
The UK Prime Minister is due to speak to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday afternoon when he will decide whether a deal is possible before Britain leaves the European Commission on December 31 before Britain leaves EU trading rules.
On Friday, Johnson said it was “very likely” that Britain would fail to reach a trade deal before January.
As negotiations continued over the weekend, ministers in Johnson’s government told UK supermarkets to start stockpiling goods due to the expected shortage caused by the note-deal Brexit.
“The conversation took place a week ago when ministers said prepare a note deal. The message this week is that it is not a deal,” a senior consultant at a large supermarket told the paper.
The UK could experience a shortage of vegetables and other commodities from Europe for months to come, with the Sunday Times reporting that consumer prices are likely to rise due to the newly imposed EU tariffs.
UK shops are already experiencing shortages and delays due to congestion at ports due to Brexit stock filling.
Representatives of the UK toy industry told Business Insider this week that many popular children’s toys will not be available to consumers this Christmas due to delays.
Andrew OPA of the British Retail Consortium told Insider that at some ports, “we have seen a huge increase in demand for space which has created congestion for unloading and congestion of hundreds of thousands of pounds.”
“Retailers now face higher costs than before, with some having a 25% weekly increase for shipping.
“While these rates continue to rise, and disruptions at ports and shipping continue, retailers face significant challenges with imports of some items before Christmas.”
UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Rabe told the BBC’s Andrew Marne that the National Health Service Fund was being replenished, but asked if there could be a “change” in supply.
However, he insisted that there would be no reports of shortages in supermarkets.
“We don’t see the shelves moving at all or any of the scary stories we’ve heard,” Rabes told Times Radio.
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British ports and freight companies are reporting long delays and tailbacks on both sides of the English Channel due to supply companies before the exit of Britain from the Brexit transition period.
The UK economy has been hit hard by a year of economic woes caused by the coronavirus epidemic.
Johnson’s government is preparing to spend billions to push European industries forward into a no-deal Brexit situation, according to Sunday Telegraph reports.
Farmers, fishing and car manufacturers are likely to be particularly affected by Britain’s sudden exit from the European single market.
Both sides remain skeptical about the prospect of success in Sunday’s talks.
“Negotiations continue in Brussels, but remain very difficult,” a senior UK government source said on Saturday evening.
He added: “The position of the Prime Minister is the same: any deal must be fair and the principles of sovereignty and control must be respected.”
Dominic Rabe told the BBC there was a “very high bar” for talks to continue beyond Sunday.
“What really matters is political will,” said Rabbay The Andrew Marr Shaw. He added that the EU needed to make significant changes to the issues of phishing rights and the terms of the UK’s access to the European single market.
Ireland’s Taisich Michael Martin Marne said both the UK and the EU needed to make a deal.
“The note-deal will be very bad news for all of us,” he said.
“If we can’t make a deal on the line, it will be a surprise failure for Statcraft.”
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