There will be “no interruption to the supply of food to the shelves” due to new Brexit checks coming into force, a government minister has insisted.
James Cleverly attempted to minimise fears over the long-delayed border target operating model being introduced today, following the UK’s exit from the European Union (EU) following the 2016 Brexit vote.
Products such as food and drink coming from the EU will undergo health checks but there are fears over “potentially serious biosecurity risks”.
Speaking in Paris, the home secretary said: “The UK has always been a consumer of international products and unsurprisingly French products are very, very popular in the UK.
“We’re not going to lose that appetite. We’re going to make sure that these sensible, responsible checks are done in a way that makes no interruption to the supply of food to the shelves, so people don’t need to worry about that.
“We of course want to make sure that we maintain good quality food available on the shelves and we’ve always been able to do that. And we will continue doing that now.”
Cleverly’s comments came during a visit to France to announce plans for closer law enforcement and security ties in 2024, including intelligence sharing.
The co-operation effort came in a bid to tackle illegal migration into the UK via dangerous small boat crossings from French beaches.
Labour’s shadow City minister Tulip Siddiq said if Britain’s trading relationship with the EU post-Brexit wasn’t working, her party would look at it again.
She added: “We would look at look at where businesses are struggling, where the economy is struggling, and go and see if we can get a better deal for our country.”
And health minister Dame Andrea Leadsom said Britain having “some friction” when it comes to trading with the EU was the “price you pay” for “being a sovereign state again”.
She told Sky News: “Businesses always face the cost of doing business… businesses need to adapt to meet the changing environment.”