NEW: ๐Ÿšจ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿš›๐Ÿšš๐Ÿค๐ŸŸ๐Ÿšข๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿšจ Building of Brexit border posts faces delays via...industry calling for delay to July 1 U.K. #brexit border roll out - my latest via โฆ@FinancialTimesโฉ

@FinancialTimes This goes back to last year, when UK gov got ยฃ430m of bids for new Border Control Posts and only funded ยฃ194m worth - and those bids that won took a 33pc 'haircut'. Result, everyone unhappy - those that got nothing, and those that won, got not enough /2

https://t.co/tk22KFIUGe
@FinancialTimes The result is that ports looking to build BCPs to accommodate new border coming in from July 1 say they haven't got enough money. They want either delays to border on July 1, or flexible implementation. /3
@FinancialTimes So as @timgmorris of @UKMajorPorts group tells me: โ€œWe need urgent action from the government to show flexibility either on the July 1 deadline orย what is requiredย on that date....or acceptย potentiallyย serious implications for traffic flows this summer." /4
@FinancialTimes @timgmorris @UKMajorPorts As @richard_bpa of @britishports says โ€œThere is now a real danger that customs infrastructure wonโ€™t be ready by July in some ports and weโ€™re urging ministers to take a pragmatic approach to ensure that goods can continue moving at those locations,โ€ /5
@FinancialTimes @timgmorris @UKMajorPorts @richard_bpa @britishports Among the leading ports facing shortfalls is Portsmouth, a local council-owned facility that requested ยฃ32m in funds but received ยฃ17.1m to cover essential schemes it has estimated will cost ยฃ22.3m โ€” leaving a ยฃ5.2m shortfall. /6
@FinancialTimes @timgmorris @UKMajorPorts @richard_bpa @britishports The port has had to rule out building a ยฃ7m BCP for live animals (UK sends about 30,000 animals a year, lots of them breeding stock to EU - and about same come the other way)...but is also short for its main BCP /7
@FinancialTimes @timgmorris @UKMajorPorts @richard_bpa @britishports The port is Portsmouth City council owned, and today the Cabinet was sent a report detailing the issues by the directors/8

https://t.co/wkQW81BBOQ
@FinancialTimes @timgmorris @UKMajorPorts @richard_bpa @britishports Port Director @mikesellersPIP says they are "far from having the funds to meet even the most basic requirements.โ€

And the report gov handling - @cabinetofficeuk and @DefraGovUK - has been "inadequate, inequitable and ponderous". /9
@FinancialTimes @timgmorris @UKMajorPorts @richard_bpa @britishports @mikesellersPIP @cabinetofficeuk @DefraGovUK The government says they are making "significant preparations" to beย ready for the border in July and "full border checks will be introduced from July 2021" based on Port Infrastructure Award grants.

Will they stick to that,? On past form, if chaos looms, I bet not. ENDS

More from Peter Foster

๐Ÿšจ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿšš๐Ÿšš๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿšจ

As #brexit talks drift towards the rocks, trade groups say plans for Irish Sea trade border after Brexit are โ€˜in a messโ€™ via, my latest via @FT ...this is an issue coming deal or no deal. Stay with me 1/


So to recap, under Northern Ireland protocol negotiated in the Withdrawal Agreement all goods going from Great Britain to NI must confirm with EU customs code. To avoid new border in Ireland, that means trade border in Irish Sea - new paperwork, new systems. Operational Jan 1/2

The problem is that because the FTA negotiations are stuck, the negotiations in the Joint Committee on how to implement the Protoocl (and @michaelgove is with @MarosSefcovic talking today) haven't yet born fruit. That means a LOT of uncertainty. /3

@michaelgove @MarosSefcovic How much uncertainty? Well, as @MichaelAodhan tells me, a lot. Research by the Northern Ireland Business Brexit Working Group (NIBBWG) found only 20% of members were ready. And its not their fault: need info on tarifs, computer systems etc. And are not getting answers /3


@michaelgove @MarosSefcovic @MichaelAodhan Now. The Government has earmarked ยฃ200m for the Trade Support Service run by Fujitsu and the Customs Clearance Consortium with @ShankerASingham @RobHardyFR8 to help business process new paperwork...BUT even it cannot answer lots of Qs, and won't help with animal/SPS issues. /4
BREAK: ๐Ÿšจ๐Ÿšจ๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿš—๐Ÿš™๐Ÿš—๐Ÿš™๐Ÿš—๐Ÿš™๐Ÿš—๐Ÿš™๐Ÿš—๐Ÿš™๐Ÿš—๐Ÿ‡ซ๐Ÿ‡ท๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿšข๐Ÿšข๐Ÿšข๐Ÿšจ๐Ÿšจ The UK rejects Dover funding bid to double French passport booths via @FT - long queues ahead...as other ports also donโ€™t get money they asked for to build #brexit border. Stay with me/1 thread


So what is this all about? Well back in October the govt announced a ยฃ200m Port Infrastructure Fund - details below - for ports to get ready for the new trade processes for #Brexit border. Dealing with those 215m extra customs decs etc..

Today we find out what everyone got - but it turns out that 54 ports asked for more than ยฃ450m - so a LOT have been bitterly disappointed. Not just Dover (on which more in a second)...they are furious the government is not willing to fully fund the very borders they mandated /3

So here is the list of what everyone got - 41 ports had winning bids totaling just over ยฃ194m - but you'll note that Dover got...wait for it...ยฃ33k. No, that is not a type. Thirty-three thousand pounds. They asked for ยฃ33m!! Why? Well to build new passport lanes. /4


Why? Because as an @NAOorguk report warned in November the Govt's 'reasonable worst case scenario' for delays at Dover for passenger traffic was "one to two hours" and "much longer" in the summer. Eeek. Happy hols everyone! /5

https://t.co/K77Is5tfxk
Good to see @Marthakearney on @BBCr4today taking @pritipatel to task over the numbers of lorries in Dover - now 1,500 in Stack (M20) and Manston airfield combined - rather more than 170 that @BorisJohnson said yesterday, baffling haulage groups /1

@BBCr4today @pritipatel @BorisJohnson She won't say whether lorry drivers will have to take a PCR test (long-winded, requires RNA extraction etc. 24-48hrs) rather than much faster (and less sensitive) lateral flow test. Short Strait will struggle to operates with PCR tests. You'd need one yesterday for tomorrow! /2

@BBCr4today @pritipatel @BorisJohnson Because of the delays that have empty lorries already stuck in the queues, in an earlier interview British Retail Consortium @the_brc Andrew Opie said fresh food shortages would occur within days because lorries couldn't get back to Spain etc to reload /3

@BBCr4today @pritipatel @BorisJohnson @the_brc Haulage experts like @RHADuncanB are always at pains to explain that the lorries at Dover (and GB-IE, for that matter) are flowing in a continuous cycle. More than 85% are from EU countries. So if you block one side, or artery the whole system starts to grind to a halt/4

@BBCr4today @pritipatel @BorisJohnson @the_brc @RHADuncanB This episode has been a bit of a teaching moment, exposing the canard that the UK can unilaterally "take back control of its borders". It can't. Borders are membranes. Traffic flows in both directions. Actions by one side impact the other - as French move has demonstrated. /5

More from Brexit

On this, I think itโ€™s highly unlikely to occur in the timeframe given. For several reasons, I donโ€™t think itโ€™s realistic for Scotland to secede, and then join the EU, in 9 years.

For that, thanks goes to Brexit.

A thread because why not...


Two important dates: March 2016 and January 1st 2021.

Firstly, prior to the 2014 referendum, the Nationalists proposed a date of March 2016 to secede.

Secondly, today - the end completion of Brexit five-and-a-half years after Cameronโ€™s majority in 2015.

Brexit has demonstrated many things, primarily that splitting unions is not easy. The UKs membership of the EU was 47 years and by the end it was not at the heart of the EU. The Union has existed for over 300 as a unitary state.

Dividing a unitary state, like the UK, will not be easy. Frankly, it will make Brexit look simple. Questions of debt, currency, defence, and more will need to be resolved ... something not addressed with Brexit.

Starting with debt. Scotland will end up with its proportionate share of the UKs national debt. Itโ€™s not credible to suggest otherwise. Negotiating what is proportionate wonโ€™t be easy when both sides disagree.

Itโ€™s importance will be seen shortly.

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