Industry leaders fear trading will be harder and more costly without comprehensive deal.

Spending watchdog claims ports and businesses are not ready for 1 January, with Northern Ireland a big concern.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), within the last quarter of 2022, the UK imported about £33billion more than it exported to the EU. / This is the worst performance of the UK export trade balance since records began in 1997. / This is a shocking testimony that Brexit has caused fundamental deep-rooted damage to British exports.

UK ‘failed to fulfil its obligations’ to stop Chinese companies flooding market with cheap clothes.

Watchdog says government has started its preparations too late.

Tariffs will be cut to zero on 87% of imports to the UK as part of a temporary no-deal plan but prices of some imports including meat, shoes, underpants and cars will go up.

Official figures confirmed a 41% drop in trade during the first month after the end of the transition period - with officials saying there was evidence disruption from new customs arrangement was behind some of the fall.

A Brexit briefing for non-specialists

New border checks in Kent and elsewhere reverse 47 years of removal of trade barriers.

Britain is due to face more disruption to its trade with the European Union when it introduces new post-Brexit customs checks on Jan. 1, the head of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgieva, said on Tuesday.

According to the boss of Europe’s largest haulage trade body, the UK is looking at a ‘nightmare scenario’ that will lead to ‘weeks, if not months’ of shortages.

British consumers face higher prices and reduced availability of goods if the government fails to agree pragmatic solutions with the European Union on regulatory checks at ports in any post-Brexit deal, the retail industry’s lobby group warned on Monday.

Full customs controls will take effect on January 1. One aspect of the changes is new rules that need to be followed to enable trade between the UK and EU to remain tariff free, per the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

Ministers expected to take more flexible approach in bid to ease impact of coronavirus pandemic on economy.

Concerns raised after reports negotiating team told to devise plans to ‘get around’ protocol in withdrawal agreement.

New recruits needed to process millions of extra declaration forms from 1 January 2020.

Britain is proposing to set up “customs clearance centres” on both sides of the Irish border after Brexit in order to avoid the need for border checks on the border itself, Irish state broadcaster RTE reported on Monday.

Ports are seeking compensation for the facilities, which were meant to carry out the government's new post-Brexit checks but have been put on hold until the end of next year. / Ports across the country are threatening the government with legal action unless compensation is paid to cover the millions of pounds they've spent building new border control posts.

Minister angers owners who fear they wasted millions to hurriedly install border infrastructure.

One port operator has had to demolish building work for new checks, while other crucial customs sites do not even have planning permission yet.

A survey carried out by the Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association found that just one-third of businesses that attempted exports to Europe in 2021 had been successful.

Non-binding opinion says UK allowed criminal gangs to flood Europe with cheap Chinese-made clothes.

UK has made little progress on new infrastructure needed for checks Boris Johnson signed up to.

The way UK Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove has been handling exports to the European Union (EU) since the Brexit transition period ended has attracted a new wave of criticism. The volume of exports made through British ports to the EU reportedly fell by 68 per cent in January compared to the same month last year, and that drop has been largely attributed to problems caused by Brexit.

The UK government is still failing to understand the country’s supply chains, say logistics operators, or recognise their anxiety as more Brexit regulations loom.