First bite of the Apple

Last week, Matt Hancock announced that the Government's in house track and trace app was being shelved, because of difficulties getting it to work with both Android, but in particular Apple platforms.

The Government had been warned this would happen.

But it went ahead and gave £80 million in contracts to Dom's friends to produce an independent one. This is because both Google and Apple's apps had the data in user's handsets, whereas Johnson's Government wanted the data centralised so it could be accessed and possibly sold on.

Hancock has since said at least twice that the Government had been working on their own and with Google and Apple at the same time, so switching from one app to the other was no big issue. Apple published a statement saying that the UK Government had not been in contact with them. Which Hancock disputes.

Now, who would you believe?

Remember the past history of Government procured IT systems shows they rarely go to plan. And a nationwide system for good and freight clearance will have to be up and running by the end of the year, or nothing can be exported to the EU.

The UK has said it will introduce a rolling increase of tariffs and checks taking, initially, 6 months to get to full speed, hoping the EU would do the same. The EU said no, full checks from January 1st 2021 will be introduced.

Well, everyone bar the Government is surprised by that one.

But Johnson is pressing on with not extending the transition agreement, no matter what. And it is sobering to think how bad things would have been if the pandemic had occurred a year later, when far fewer trucks and lorries would be making the cross-Channel trip to keep supplies running. Remember, trucks will only come to the UK if their owners know they can get back out again, and UK truck drivers may only be allowed to drive on EU roads in very small numbers due to limited number of licences available.

But I'm sure Johnson has this all covered.....