Actually the deal isn't to blame for customs entries they are, in fact, a direct consequence of Brexit full stop. You would have them even if we were in the EEA. When we were members of the EU we had to complete customs clearances on cargo from Switzerland or Norway.

This was pointed out by the head of HMRC before the referendum but was dismissed as project fear.

The fact we are allowing anything and everything in without checking is as you point out because the government have made a complete b0ll0ck5 of it. They've tried (with some success clearly) to dress it up as a Brexit benefit but it actually goes against "taking back control". In fact if you wanted to smuggle something in it would be a piece of p155 - we've completely given up all control.

This country is a wash with class A drugs - this was case when we were in the EU - so what does that say about the quality of checks at our ports. This isn't a Brexit issue and it never was.

No it's completely different and is down to Brexit. All cargo from outside the same customs territory has to have a customs declaration entered onto the system upon arrival. Whether it's physically checked or not isn't the point border force have a declaration of what the cargo is and any revenues due of everything entering our customs territory from outside. This means customs/port health/trading standards have the chance to inspect cargo if they wanted. As is still the case should you bring cargo in by air or sea etc. your cargo isn't released until a customs declaration has been made.

After Brexit all cargo entering the UK is now from a different customs territory, however, because we haven't got our ducks in a row (even now years after leaving) the requirement for road/rail freight via ferry ports and the tunnel is to enter the customs declaration within 24 hours of arrival not at the point of entry. We've created a situation where the significant majority of imports from outside our customs territory can be brought in and delivered before we've even declared to border force what it is and where it's from and somehow that's taking back control. We live in strange times.

But wasn't Brexit all about "securing our borders"


Instead now we've just flung them entirely open, despite the fact there's supposed to be a hard border there.

If only they'd consulted you bully

I think there is a pretty compelling case that Randoms Offa Internet > Boris Johnson and Baron Frost

Baron Frost does sound a good comic book villain though

People who are involved in importing and exporting said this would happen about six years ago.
It's a shame the other side's tactic of "making up lies to stick on a bus" proved more persuasive.

Oh absolutely.

Sal, customs dont and never have opened every box or package entering the county and never have.
As you know, much of what comes in or out, is based on trust, with post checks etc. Container freight does get x rayed but, it always was and always will be possible to
smuggle goods in and out of the country.
The Brexit issues are additional admin costs and delays in moving goods, which varies depending on where they are going and what you are sending/receiving.
One thing that has massively reduced is small trades and online transactions both in and out of the EU as the administration costs are generally prohibitive.
Also, there is absolute necessity to have your passport checked and stamped, which wasn't the case pre Brexit but, that is what "we" voted for.
Freedom of movement ceased in both directions.

The stamping of the passport results from the fact that because of our status we are only allowed a maximum of three months in any six month period in the eu. It is therefore necessary to have an entry and exit stamp to confirm your compliance and yes they do check it.

The Brexit liars are still pretending this is all the fault of the evil EU. Its really pathetic - and so transparent a lie to all but the most devoted to the Brexit cult.

Did you ever go within the EU when we were members and not have your passport checked - I never did - it was always checked. The idea that the EU was free movement without checks is a fallacy

Have you actually travelled from the UK into the EU since Brexit? I can only assume not.

And while we're here let's deal with the straw man - no the EU wasn't about free movement without checks, nobody said it was given we were outside Schengen. But if you're still trying to pretend the checks that happened before we left are in any way similar or take the same amount of time as the ones that happen, by insistence of the British government, now we have left then... well let's just say you're misinformed.

Brexit was all about reintroducing friction and red tape into areas where we and generations past had tried, for mutual benefit, to remove it, to help people move more easily and goods get to market more promptly. People who voted for such a silly thing despite being told this was the case, despite being warned about the damage it would cause and the bureaucracy it would add and the time that would be wasted, really have a cheek to come back now and complain about it.

Are all these Brexit liars belonging to the Brexit cult a cross section of the general public or are they just tory voters?

I don't have figures in front of me Chissy old bean but let's see...
Brexit voters were more likely to be old, white and misinformed by years of reading anti-EU propaganda from the right wing press.
Tory voters are more likely to be old, white and constantly in a fury due to misinformation they read in the right wing press.

I wonder if there may be some crossover?

Do you have anything substantial to support your theory, or is it an educated guess?

I've been to Greece, Portugal and Spain on several trips since we left the EU and have had no delays or issues whatsoever their end.
Just seems to be France for some reason

I've entered the EU via Greece, France, Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Denmark and Sweden since the UK left. There were huge delays for people from the UK entering Denmark in particular (Copenhagen airport was a complete breeze before); Greece and Italy were much worse than before but not as bad as Denmark. The worst delay caused by Brexit I've had was entering the EU from Albania where we can no longer go via the fast queue, that was something like a two hour job.

I've been through Dover six times and it's been ok on each occasion, although not in peak summer. Much slower than before of course but we've not experienced queues of more than half an hour there so far.

But the long and short of it is, we are at the mercy of how much extra cost these countries want to incur to make a small bunch of little Englanders feel less insecure about themselves. It's the complete opposite of taking back control.

I have been to Spain and Croatia and the queues are definitely longer than before Brexit - part of which is the Covid documentation which as much as everyone wants to blame Brexit is a completely separate issue. However compared to visiting the US its a breeze - unless of course you do US immigration in Dublin



I was a leaver primarily because of the creep of influence of the EU over its members - in my day to day life I can honestly say I haven't seen a downside - no empty shelves, wage inflation, can still travel freely in the EU albeit with longer queues etc. I haven't seen the promised upsides either - other than wage inflation. At the time 9bn sounded like a lot of money but the cost of the pandemic has put that into perspective. This government - I am also a Tory supporter - is a disgrace, yes we had a pandemic but its inability to concentrate on key issues is abject and embarrassing. It had only one strategy - project protect "Big Dog". Johnson should have been gone months ago and the new PM in place by the end of July - this vacuum is both dangerous and incompetent. People will not be able to pay these utility bills - don't give people more money stop the prices going up as in France. Yes the impact financially is the same but you stop people using the money for other things and getting into debt they cannot get out of. The £20 universal credit needs putting back in place immediately - rant over

Can you give us examples of this "influence" that "the EU" had that you didn't like?

Cursory check but, never stamped,
We are now obliged to have different checks done, as we are a "third" country.
Previously, the "lighter" checks were far more speedy. Although in fairness, we didn't have too much hassle coming back from
Toulouse but, the flight wasn't exactly packed.
There is no doubt that there are some "games" being played but, it was the UK that decided that it wanted out.

As for free movement within the EU, it certainly was, once you were across the Channel.

One thing for sure is that moving goods was faster and cheaper pre Brexit and with pretty much zero red tape.
Now, it's fill out ever more details regarding country of origin, the value of raw materials within the product, onward sale destination, etc, etc

It may be a "free trade arrangement" but, it's neither free of cost or straightforward.

The desperation with which Quitters have leapt on this lie (strange how everything to do with Brexiters keeps coming back to lying one way or another) that it's all exactly the same as before tells its own story.

The UK were so keen on these third country rules when we helped design them. Now the Quitters can't stand that rules they approved of are being used to interfere with their hard-won "freedom"



Unfortunately the sane, informed majority will have to put up with the consequences of the idiotic actions of this nationalistic minority for the next couple of decades or so. It's really painful. I just hope I'll still be around when we go back in, as we inevitably will once the backward-looking, selfish generation who had all those decades of benefits and prosperity from EU membership and denied them to younger people eventually die off.

Tbf, it's probably better that "we" find a positive way to continue on the outside of the EU but, there is little sign (actually no sign) of this happening yet.
I'm sure that some of the backers of leave have suitably filled their pockets and found some ways to exploit the situation but, that really isn't helping the rest of us.

How many more times there is bo Brexit disaster it’s just the French sulking because they haven’t forgiven us for Brexit yet. They wasn’t checking our passports in d day!

I tip my hat, if you keep it up you might reel some of the Quitters in.