Irish Sea border posts ‘delayed by two years’ – BBC News (15 April)
City of London – Brexit hit worse than expected – Reuters (16 April)
MEPs back UK trade deal as efforts mount to ease Brexit Tensions – FT (15 April)
UK exports to EU rebound partially after January’s slump – BBC News (13 April)
- A Stormont committee was told this week that the timeframe for permanent facilities to operate the Irish Sea border has slipped, and that they are not expected to be built before 2023.
- Tenders had been agreed for the work, and contractors may be entitled to payments of up to £300,000 as a result of the delay.
City of London – Brexit hit worse than expected – Reuters (16 April)
- Hundreds of financial firms have moved activities, staff and a combined trillion pounds in assets to hubs in the European Union due to Brexit. The study reports that this trend will increase as time goes on, with some moves delayed due to COVID-19.
- The majority of relocations have been to Dublin (135) and Paris (102), followed by Luxembourg, Frankfurt and Amsterdam.
MEPs back UK trade deal as efforts mount to ease Brexit Tensions – FT (15 April)
- Two European Parliament Committees approved the Trade and Cooperation Agreement amidst continuing Brexit tension in Northern Ireland.
- The EU and UK have been holding talks in recent days regarding the situation in Northern Ireland and the implementation of the protocol. Both parties have indicated they are willing to work together towards a solution.
UK exports to EU rebound partially after January’s slump – BBC News (13 April)
- UK exports to the EU recovered in February after a slump in January, jumping 46.6%; UK imports from the EU witnessed a weaker recovery, at just 7.3%.
- The Office of National Statistics and business analysts attributed the January decline to a combination of stockpiling in December in preparation of new trading rules and the impact of the new Kent variant of COVID-19 causing border delays.
- A Government spokesperson has described this as ‘welcome growth’ and suggested that traders have adapted well to the changes.