Brexit made some businesses “suddenly uncompetitive” as costs and red tape increased, says the CEO of the British Independent Retail Association

A brutal Financial Times investigation has unveiled the “all pain no gain” trading conditions many British businesses face post-Brexit.

“Car crash!” exclaimed managing director Andrew Varga, whose Brexit progress I have been following since the referendum. News of the latest Brexit U-turn landed on him on Tuesday out of the blue. All his years of preparation for a new UK product safety mark, all his thousands of pounds wasted, all the uncountable hours and effort were rendered pointless, at a stroke.

The company first began operations in Belgium in 2021 due to what it calls the "challenges of Brexit" around shipping equipment to EU countries.

One small business owner said her net profit margins had dropped to zero in the years since Brexit.

Despite claims over taking back control, UK is forced to comply with rules on which it has no say.

Rishi Sunak was told that “increased taxes, soaring costs, the impact of Brexit, difficulty finding staff, all combined with the fact that it was your government that crashed the economy” led to four businesses closing.

I said that I would break the ‘summer recess’ of this blog if a Brexit event of sufficient interest or importance occurred and it has, with the government’s announcement today of an “indefinite extension to the use of CE [Conformité Européenne] marking for British businesses”.

He said the move "hugely reduces" the risk of post-Brexit divergence on product standards between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

CE symbol due to stay after government U-turn.

Adoption of Britain-only rival to EU’s CE designation postponed ‘indefinitely’, say ministers.

The government has quietly admitted Singapore-on-Thames is dead.

From October, consignments carrying some meats, dairy and fish will require vet-signed export health certificates.

Britain on Tuesday said it would retain the European 'CE' safety mark for products indefinitely rather than scrap it following the country's departure from the European Union, in a move welcomed by businesses as a pragmatic step.

Many businesses are unprepared for the new rules which will come into effect from October 31.

The prime minister’s Windsor Framework, agreed with Brussels this year, will create ‘more burdensome’ bureaucracy for many firms than the status quo, peers said.

Following distributors Moore and Large, and 2Pure, another UK bike company, FLi Distribution, has ceased trading this year. / In a post published yesterday on Linkedin with the words, "FLi is done", Williams writes, "If you voted for Brexit, please realise this is 90% because of your decision back in 2016."

Distributor of KTM road and mountain bikes shuts citing Brexit red tape as a major factor.

The founder of homeware store Oliver Bonas has complained of the “teething problems” related to Brexit, which is making it difficult to grow his brand in Ireland.

Stormont’s political impasse is hindering Northern Ireland’s ability to benefit from its post-Brexit economic advantage, Micheal Martin has warned.

The closure of Wrexham’s Business Hub was due to the impacts of Brexit, First Minister Mark Drakeford has said. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Cumbria Chamber of Commerce has responded to an economic survey showing half of firms surveyed are planning to raise prices in the next three months despite cost pressures easing.

The co-founder of ethical cosmetics company Lush has blamed Brexit for its fall in European demand.

‘Brexit is materially restricting our growth now,’ manufacturer Farrat says. / Manchester — Sick of customs delays and extra bureaucracy since Britain left the EU, Farrat, a small manufacturer on the edge of Manchester, is ramping up investment to compensate — in Germany.