Customary shortcomings: Britain looking ruffled
Labour tells Michael Gove that the UK lacks sufficient numbers of trained customs agents.
By Marc Allen, Editor UK.
Britain’s Labour Party has called upon the government to honour its 2020 pledge to employ 50,000 more customs agents, reports the Guardian, and warns that without more trained officers, the UK could soon ‘buckle’ under the strain of Brexit red tape.
In a letter, Rachel Reeves, Shadow Chancellor for the Duchy of Lancaster, challenged Michael Gove on the number of officers that have been trained to meet the Brexit challenge — only 12,000 have so far signed up with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) — well short of the 50,000 Westminster accepted would be needed.
Reeves wrote: “Can you please … inform me what the government is doing to address this shortfall as swiftly as possible so that businesses don’t have to deal with even more disruption?”
The letter lands on Michael Gove’s desk at the same time as worrying daily signals come from existing customs agents, hauliers, freight forwarders, and businesses. Many in HMRC and the freight business say the supply chain is groaning under the weight of opaque and confusing Brexit bureaucracy, and is close to breaking point.
