By Islam El-Sakka
British businesses continue to face significant bureaucratic hurdles when trading with the European Union, according to research by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), which is urging firms to reassess the UK’s relationship with the bloc.
Survey reveals persistent barriers
The BCC survey of around 1,500 firms found that more than a third of businesses want customs paperwork and delays removed to enable growth, rising to 58% of manufacturers and 56% of exporters. Additionally, 42% of exporters identified tariffs, quotas, or rules of origin as barriers to expansion in the EU.
Prime Minister to address relationship at Brussels summit
Prime Minister Andy Burnham will attend a summit in Brussels on November 20, where he aims to secure deals on food and drink, emissions trading, and a youth mobility scheme. Burnham has described the previous government’s Brexit deal as “not good enough for Britain” and “harder” than promised.
BCC calls for evidence-based future relationship
Shevaun Haviland, director general of the BCC, said firms have shown resilience but adaptation has not eliminated the costs of paperwork, delays, and duplicated bureaucracy. She warned that rising protectionism and EU industrial policy shifts mean standing still carries repercussions, and urged an evidence-based approach to give UK firms the strongest platform to trade, invest, and grow.
