A week in Brexit

Is a long, long time.

So long that last week the ERG under the "leadership" of the MP for the 18th century, JRM, has gone from triggering a vote of no confidence in the PM and her Government to now offering nothing less than full support.

IDS has now done the same.

This is because May has now accelerated plans for no deal, which is what the ERG and JRM want. Of course. They have bet against UK and the pound and stand to win big when Brexit hits. JRM also lied today. A total barefaced lie when he tweeted that in the event of a no deal Brexit there would be no need for a border, linking the tweet to an article in an Irish newspaper which says exactly the opposite.

You really could not make this up.

In the real world, a middle sized haulage firm said that it runs 300 vehicles a week into and back from the EU with, on average, 8,000 shipments on each lorry, it estimated it would take a team of 150 people working 8 hours a day to fill out the customs declarations for just one truck. This you will not see written on the side of a bus. Of course.

The EU is offering to allow UK airlines to fly in the EU in the event of a no deal, but only between the UK and EU, not from points within the EU, thus killing many of the budget airlines, or would have done had they not moved their headquarters to the EU this year. But this is just for a year. Same with freight haulage. But again, just for a year, while the EU works out how to avoid dealing with the UK. And again, freight haulage between the EU and UK, not point to point within the EU.

6000 UK meat processing plants face audits by UK and then EU officials to ensure they are within EU regulations, at the moment this is not needed because we are in the EU. Same for other food and drink manufacturers too.

There is no preparation for all this, and the rest that a no deal entails. And it all costs money, so there will not be a Brexit dividend, there never was, but this lays it down in black and white. All exporters will have to follow EU rules and regulations that can be changed at any minute without consultation, and access in any of these fields can be withdrawn with no notice of explanation.

Welcome to the brave new world of taking back control.