Commenting on Michael Gove’s admission that post Brexit trade issues are not just “teething problems” but “significant issues” that could risk livelihoods, the SNP’s newly appointed International Trade spokesperson, Drew Hendry MP, said:
“After a month of the Tory government insisting that the huge issues exporters and hauliers have faced at the border are just ‘teething problems’, it seems that finally a UK minister has taken his head out of the sand and is waking up to the reality that their bad Brexit deal is having a real and devastating impact on real people and businesses.
“We can only hope the rest of the Cabinet will follow and action is taken to protect people’s livelihoods and businesses. The UK government must immediately suspend fines, introduce a grace period for exporters and hauliers and make good on the Prime Minister’s promise to deliver compensation for businesses affected by the trade difficulties.
“It is wrong that Scotland’s industries, workers and ultimately, consumers are paying the price for a Tory Brexit it didn’t vote for, as well as the hubris, lies and broken promises that just keep coming from Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and the rest of the UK Cabinet.
“The SNP and industry leaders have been calling for action on these issues for weeks now – the situation is now beyond urgent as businesses continue to lose millions of pounds of overseas sales a day and customers look elsewhere for their produce.
“This Tory Brexit was a completely unnecessary act of economic vandalism, which has been inflicted against Scotland’s will. It is now beyond doubt that the only way to protect Scotland’s interests and our place in Europe is to become an independent country.”
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