British Politics – The Brexit Era is Officially Over
Brexit era: At 11 PM GMT in the United Kingdom on December 31, the UK officially stopped followed the EU rules that they had followed since becoming part of the Union. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who recently managed to iron out a Brexit deal with the EU, spoke about Britain now having their “freedom in our hands” as he looked forward to life outside of the European Union.
It is not everyone who is excited about the prospect of the UK going it alone, with many believing that things are about to get worse. One of the more outspoken opponents of Brexit has been Scottish Frist Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who took to Twitter to suggest than an independent Scotland will be joining the EU sooner rather than later. She tweeted, “Scotland will be back soon, Europe. Keep the light on.”
This is big news in British politics, but it obviously ripples across all of Europe. While it seems that the members of the EU were glad that a Brexit deal was finally done, reports suggest that there is also some sadness as seeing the UK go on their own.
By all accounts, the first few trucks made it across the border without any issues, but some freight traffic was turned away due to improper paperwork. It is worth remembering that there has been a stockpiling period, which has meant that freight traffic had not been as busy as usual. The ports and government systems are all in place and ready to go once the uptick in traffic begins again.
What to Expect Moving Forward
With new rules in place, there is going to be an adjustment period for businesses when it comes to moving goods. UK ministers have warned of potential delays and issues in the coming weeks, but they are also confident that all the border systems are in place and ready to go.
Shortly after the change of rules, reports at the Eurotunnel were that everything was running ad smoothly as it was prior to the change. In Northern Ireland, which is subject to some different rules than the UK, things also went smoothly. The first ferry to arrive in Belfast contained 15 trucks, 6 of which were held back for inspection.
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