The first of January 2021 marked the full transition of the UK into a nation devolved from the European Union following an 11-month period of transition during which relations were agreed to be kept almost the same as before.
The first few months of the year so far have been characterised by impediments to trade, additional duties and taxes due on parcels delivered from Europe, gaps opening up on the supermarket shelves, and increased structural discrimination against minorities.
Professor Jake Lynch is an Associate Professor at the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Sydney, and a regular columnist on politics and world affairs. Lynch has written of the tribulations caused by Britain leaving the EU, which include EU nationals being offered financial incentives to permanently leave the country.
You can read more about these incentives and what they mean in the PDF attachment to this post.
Effects on Trade
Some of the most immediate effects on trade have been those involving the new requirement for traders to obtain licenses and certifications to transport goods across the border. A backlog in processing these means many companies have been left sitting with goods that they cannot sell. In the case of perishable goods, firms are losing viable products while waiting for the red tape to be navigated.
Transit documents that can only be obtained through agents have been issued in limited numbers and many agents were reporting having already used up their allocation just a single month into the new separation.
The embedded short video breaks down the results of the 2016 referendum vote which ultimately led to Brexit.
False Claims
Prior to the transition, Prime Minister Boris Johnson publicly announced that there would be no additional red tape regarding trading across the border and claimed there would be no non-tariff barriers under the agreed-upon trade agreements.
Opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer called out the PM on these false claims in the House of Commons during a debate on the Brexit Trade Bill in December, asking Johnson to come clean with the British public and admit his claims had been false. Johnson deflected the question rather than answering. Traders currently unable to pass the border would likely have preferred an honest answer.
The infographic attachment explains some common Brexit terminology.