‘Get Brexit done’? Two years on, UK firms remain in the dark about what that means

Things will only get messier when the UK begins to diverge more markedly from EU rules, writes Ben Chapman

Boris Johnson’s favourite slogan (PA Archive)

Get Brexit Done.” It was a catchy soundbite that helped Boris Johnson storm to election victory with a large majority. In the most literal sense, the prime minister swiftly delivered what he promised when the withdrawal agreement entered into force a couple of months later.

With Brexit “done”, Johnson was once confidently plotting a decade in power. Now, it seems more likely that the prime minister will soon be out of office while Brexit hangs around for at least a decade.

The UK Major Ports Group highlights no fewer than four public consultations recently launched by different government departments. Each of them aims to work out new border arrangements, not for this year, or for next, but for the period after 2025.

They are part of a government aim to have the “most competitive” border in the world. Leaving aside any questions about whether being competitive should be the main objective of a nation's border arrangements, the current situation does not indicate that Brexit is now over.

Clearly, a border relationship with ones closest neighbours is not something that can be wrapped up and set to one side. It is a complex, constantly evolving set of rules and obligations. It’s technical and messy; a bit boring yet vitally important.

Things will only get messier when the UK begins to diverge more markedly from EU rules, as the government has said it wants to do.

As a result, there will likely be a never-ending series of consultations, calls for evidence, negotiations and pilot schemes to try to figure out what might work best.

This is a huge concern for businesses which, as they rarely tire of mentioning, value certainty above almost everything else.

More troubling is the fact that, while the government consults on grand visions about the future, it remains well behind schedule on implementing the changes it has already agreed to.

Full checks have repeatedly been postponed meaning that, as the Public Accounts Committee said this week, the worst of Brexit is yet to come.

Meanwhile, at almost every juncture, businesses are left in the dark until the last possible moment, deterring investment and causing needless costs for no tangible benefit.

In the latest example, port operators still do not know how much they will be able to recover for providing facilities to carry out checks on imports. These checks are being phased in over the next few months. The question they are asking: will Brexit ever truly be done?