“Now I can see the full carnage of what this government has done to my industry and the wider economy.”
30/01/2021
I am now at the end of January 2021 and still no new stock. I can see clearly what #Brexit really means for my industry & how I will have to fundamentally change my business model if I am to be trading in 12 months time. But the government wants more paperwork in five months.
Businesses are reporting increased disruption and additional costs as they attempt to trade with the EU – and it could mean the price of a bottle of wine goes up.
‘Huge relief’ as wine import papers delayed
25/03/2021
New import papers that could have contributed to price rises on EU wines entering the UK won't be introduced from 1 July, but trade officials have called on ministers to scrap the certificates completely.
Wine, the pint bottle and European standards
23/11/2023
Policymakers in the UK have to adjust to the reality of no longer setting international standards. The UK no longer offers markets of bulk. Nor does it have recognised high standards that others are keen to adopt.
Wine trade fury at Sunak tax plan that will force up prices and create ‘unworkable’ red tape
09/01/2022
Industry condemns ‘simplification’ of duty touted by Boris Johnson as key benefit of Brexit.
The director of a wine merchant has eviscerated Jacob Rees Mogg on BBC Question Time, branding complications in importing and exporting wine due to Brexit red tape as a “joke”.
Why the Question Time wine merchant who shocked Rees-Mogg was right about the Brexit damage to his industry
18/12/2022
Leaving the EU has left the wine import/export business with a shocking hangover.
Wine and spirits agency Vindependents has created a France-based warehouse and distribution company as it looks to tackle increased shipping times, paperwork and costs associated with Brexit.
A British wholesaler who supplies the UK retail market is moving his business to the South of France in order to mitigate Brexit redtape, which he says has cost his business £150,000.
Some types of wine and spirits may not be available unless ministers take urgent action to fix lorry driver shortage and shipping delays, say alcohol suppliers.
"Around half of the fiscal hole, and the political instability that comes with that, is down to Brexit," John Springford of the Centre for European Reform.
The Tories have been criticised for boasting about post-Brexit freedoms that mean the UK can sell pints of wine while the economy is "on its knees" and public services "at breaking point".
I thought it was a hoax. When The National ran a story in November saying that the Tory “Bullingdon boys” were set to reintroduce the pint measure for champagne, I’m ashamed to admit I had my doubts.
Tiny wine discount dwarfed by Brexit damage
26/07/2021
News that the government will cut regulations to create a small saving on imported wine has been met by criticism as businesses across the UK continue to face massive costs and barriers to trade after leaving the single market and customs union.
The government doesn’t want to be held to account for Brexit and its real effects – and it’s clear why!
08/10/2022
This week I was contacted by a retired CEO of a major wine wholesaler. They, unbeknownst to me, had asked their local MP John Penrose (Weston-super-Mare, Somerset) if he thought it was acceptable that my wine business had been obliged to open a site in the EU to mitigate Brexit costs.
The Brexit self-punishment machine
05/01/2024
It’s tempting to ignore the government’s announcement, made in the doldrums between Christmas and the New Year, that it is to become legal to sell wine and champagne in pint bottles.
Iain Overton examines the lack of consequences for the Brexiters that promised us sunny uplands.
The Brexit Benefit Myths
29/10/2021
The government and its supporters are beginning to claim 'benefits' of being outside the European Union some of which were always available to EU member states or, in other cases, are not benefits at all.
Most food companies feel leaving the European Union has affected operations while many said COVID-19 didn’t impact their ability to meet regulatory requirements, according to a survey.
Food production in the UK is slowing down and some farms are shrinking. Many farmers say they’re struggling to cope.
Small businesses importing food and wine from the European Union have warned they are "drowning" in paperwork because of Brexit.
Scotland's licensed trade sector has condemned sweeping alcohol tax changes brought in today under the Conservatives "Brexit Pub Guarantee" as "naive and fanciful".