The British Consortium of Retailers (BRC) urged residents of the country not to buy goods after the country's final exit from the European Union under Brexit, which may take place without signing an agreement. Writes about this The Independent.
Traders are already increasing their stocks of canned food, toilet paper and other durable products. However, BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson believes that the British do not need to buy more food than usual anyway: in the worst case, the impact of Brexit will affect imported fresh food.
Dickinson warned that it was the population that would “pay the price” for the failure of London and Brussels to agree. Therefore, according to the BRC spokesman, the parties should do everything possible for the sake of business and consumers.
The Independent writes that Brexit without an agreement will result in the UK facing high food tariffs. They could reach three billion pounds and cause a sharp increase in prices in 2021. For now, however, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are committed to continuing negotiations.
The UK officially left the European Union on 1 February. Until the end of 2020, the parties agreed on a transitional period during which most of the EU laws will continue to operate in the United Kingdom, including trade rules. Before the end of the transition period, Brussels and London had to agree on the format of future relations and conclude a new trade agreement. However, in July 2020, the parties terminated regular negotiations ahead of schedule, as they could not come to an agreement on a number of issues.
The disagreements, in particular, relate to the movement of goods across the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland: the former is part of the EU, the latter withdrew from the association along with London. In addition, the UK does not want to provide access for European fishermen to their areas, as this is incompatible with the country's status as an independent state.
