Study Suggests UK Border Target Is A Long Way Off

According to a recent study by the National Audit Office (NAO), the UK's target of having “the most effective border in the world” is still a long way off.

The report deduced that repeated delays crossing the UK-EU borders have led to uncertainty, increased risk, and the incurring of unnecessary costs since the UK decided to leave the EU. It also estimated that traders had incurred an additional £7.5bn in tax.

According to the report, UK government planned to introduce most of the new import controls by October, including customs checks, sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) controls, and safety and security declaration (SSD) controls. However, these have already been delayed five times.

These delays have reportedly resulted in wasted costs for infrastructure and staff that were not needed by both the government and traders. The report also highlighted that the UK faces an increase in biosecurity risk due to the delay introducing full import controls.

Leading trade organisations, including the British International Freight Association (BIFA) and the Road Haulage Association (RHA) have expressed concerns following the report's findings.

The NAO offered recommendations, which included the government reviewing the effectiveness of new control measures, monitoring compliance and ensuring ports have sufficient staffing and infrastructure to operate controls.

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