A year later, the UK is already feeling the effects of the exit

Although an agreement was reached that facilitates trade without quotas or tariffs, complaints from companies have multiplied due to the delays and costs of the new barriers, such as the need for sanitary controls, filling out forms and submitting import declarations. and export.

Scottish fishermen are some of those who are feeling the impact of the friction that is felt at the borders, with exports of fish and shellfish such as salmon, oysters and crayfish spoiling inside trucks and without reaching customers in Europe in time, especially France, Belgium and Spain. , where they were previously discharged within 24 hours.

Taking into account that fishing was one of the main activities that would benefit from ‘Brexit’, the British Government created a fund of 23 million pounds (26 million euros) to cover losses and help companies adapt to the new export processes.

In Northern Ireland, several large supermarkets have experienced supply disruptions that have resulted in empty shelves of some food products due to the bureaucracy involved in transporting them from England, as the British region has aligned itself with the single market rules.

In a joint letter, the chairmen of groups such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Marks & Spencer wrote to the government warning of the risk of continuing “major disturbances” due to the “unworkable” system, which requires a long-term solution.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called for “adaptation problems” and continues to insist on the “opportunities” that exist outside the EU, but for companies these advantages are not immediate.

“They are not just adaptation problems, this is the new reality that the industry has to get used to. (…) There will be additional costs in the near future and this affects our competitiveness and puts pressure on builders to increase productivity” said Mike Hawes, president of the Automobile Manufacturers and Dealers Association (SMMT).

Politically, relations with the EU are no longer at the top of the political agenda, overtaken by the covid-19 pandemic and the economic and social crisis that it has caused in the United Kingdom.

Even the Labor Party, led by the pro-European Keir Starmer, admits that it will be difficult to renegotiate with Brussels.

“Like it or not, that will be the deal that a new Labor government will inherit and it will have to make it work,” he told the BBC, adding that “there is no reason to rejoin the EU.”

This is not what Scotland’s head of self-government Nicola Sturgeon thinks of Brexit, which most Scots oppose, as an argument in the campaign for a new independence referendum.

In 2014, 55% of Scots voted to stay in the UK, but a poll published on Sunday by the Sunday Times newspaper indicated that 49% of Scots are in favor of independence and 44% are in favor of independence. against, a margin of 52% to 48% if the undecided are excluded.

Sturgeon wants to leave the UK and join the EU and rapprochement has already started, with negotiations starting this week with the European Commission to maintain the Erasmus student exchange program.

Also read: Boris Johnson expresses concern about restrictions on vaccine exports