Hauliers say Brexit meeting with Michael Gove ‘fell far short of expectations’
It is the second day running that ministers have provoked the ire of the sector in relation to preparations for leaving the EU transition period.
Ministers have been on the receiving end of angry responses from the haulage sector for the second day running, after being accused of holding a “washout” meeting on Brexit preparedness.
The Road Haulage Association (RHA) said their meeting on Thursday with Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove, who is in charge of preparations for the UK exiting the transition period with the European Union without a trade deal, fell “far short of our expectations”.
It comes after Logistics UK, formerly the Freight Transport Association, on Wednesday warned businesses were facing a “massive blow” after discovering that the Government’s Smart Freight system – designed to reduce the risk of cargo delays once Britain is outside of EU rules – would not be out of testing mode by January when British exports face new border regulations.
He tweeted: “Today’s meeting with Michael Gove fell far short of our expectations.
“The mutually effective co-operation we wanted to ensure seamless border crossings just didn’t happen and there is still no clarity over the questions that we have raised.”
In a statement issued under the heading “Whitehall meeting was a washout”, Mr Burnett added: “With only 75 working days of the transition period left we shall continue to work relentlessly on behalf of our members and the rest of the haulage logistics industry for whom the success of these negotiations have become a matter of make or break.
“Although I don’t think we’re quite back at square one, we’re certainly not much further ahead.”
The Government has promised to “intensify” talks with the haulage industry following Thursday’s meeting.
A Cabinet Office spokeswoman said: “The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Mr Gove) and the Transport Secretary (Grant Shapps) chaired a constructive meeting with key stakeholders today to discuss preparations for the end of the UK transition period.
“With just over 100 days to go, it’s vital that we all prepare for new rules that will come into force at the end of the year.
“Government will continue to intensify engagement with industry in the weeks ahead so we can hit the ground running on January 1 2021 and seize new opportunities.
“To help businesses prepare, we have launched a major communications campaign in the UK and EU, committed to investing £705 million in jobs, infrastructure and technology at the border and provided an £84 million support package to boost the capacity of the customs intermediary sector.”
According to reports, a coronavirus testing centre in Ebbsfleet, Kent, was closed to make way for a post-Brexit lorry park, in order to be able to carry out customs checks away from the Port of Dover.
The activation of Operation Stack, a controversial Brexit motorway measure to deal with port delays, also led to miles-long queues on the route to the Channel port on Thursday.
The “emergency measure”, which sees junctions along the M20 closed, is designed to prevent gridlock on Kent’s road network.
Operation Stack was used after counter-terrorism police’s call for “enhanced security checks” at UK ports led to traffic delays due to all vehicles and passengers being checked on all short strait routes in Kent.
Pictures showed long lines of HGVs stacked up into the busy port of Dover.
