Freight Boss: We Won't Be Able To Cope With A No-Deal Brexit
8 January 2019, 08:21
The chairman of a major British freight company has told LBC that they won't be able to cope if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
The government has stepped up planning for a no-deal Brexit, with Theresa May's deal expected to be defeated in the House of Commons next week.
All this week, Nick Ferrari is speaking to the people who could be most affected by a no-deal Brexit.
Today, he spoke to Ian Baxter, the Chairman of Baxter Freight, one of the UK's fastest growing logistics businesses.
He told Nick that his company won't be able to deal with the huge increase in customs checks that would come with a no-deal Brexit.
He said: "It's going to be an extra 300million customs clearances. Frankly, HMRC won't be able to cope with that. Neither will Baxter Freight. Neither will our customers if that happens on 29th March.
"If there is a sensible transition period, then we'll have an opportunity to gear up to it, which is what we're hoping for.
"If we leave on 29th March without any arrangements with the European Union then impossible might be a good word. It would certainly be chaotic and the preparations that the government has done in the past 24 hours don't touch the sides of the preparation that is needed to cope with such a scenario.
"It would be a disaster for British business if we are to leave in that way."
