Dear John,

We have left the single market. Businesses are starting to see what that means.

We avoided a no deal exit, but the thin deal we are left with is leaving British businesses in the lurch.

The UK requires traders to register with the HMRC and pay VAT charges upfront. No other country in the world has such a burdensome process. 

Many retailers have ceased selling to UK customers altogether.

The government has refused to align with the EU on basic industrial regulations in order to smooth trade. As we outline in our new report, regulatory duplication and divergence are costing businesses time and money, and making the UK less competitive.

This is not what we were promised. This does not sound like a ‘free trade’ deal. We don’t even have frictionless trade between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK!

Simplifying VAT charges, cutting red tape and knocking down non-tariff trade barriers is a vital next step for the UK. It is a low-cost solution that would give British businesses the boost they need.

Let’s start levelling-up this trade agreement. Sign the petition calling on the government to scrap the unnecessary red tape and scrap the VAT import charge.

New ‘rules of origin’, which determine where a product was primarily made, mean nearly a fifth of UK exports don’t qualify for non-tariff trading. This particularly impacts the food and drink sector.

At least 50 major UK retailers, including Marks & Spencer and Tesco, are still trying to establish how many of their products will be now subject to tariffs from the EU. Some of Britain's best-known brands are suffering, not just because of the changes to trade with the EU, but also because of how late the deal was struck.

Debenhams has closed its online operations in Ireland, citing high-cost tariffs. Europe’s largest second-hand auto-parts trader has ceased selling to the UK, citing VAT charges.

Nothing will be as beneficial as being a member of the world’s largest market. But there are common sense steps the government should be taking to improve this inadequate trade deal.

Sign the petition to cut burdensome bureaucracy, and make this a trade agreement fit for UK businesses.   

Britain should be building economic partnerships. Instead, the government is stifling business and narrowing choices for consumers.  

If we’re serious about building back a better and more global Britain, we need to start with building on this barebones deal.

Best wishes,

Cary Mitchell,
Director of Operations, Best for Britain