First lorries cross into France as Britain and Europe wake to new Brexit reality

[Skeptical Thomas]

Source: The Guardian

Helen Sullivan
Fri 1 Jan 2021 06.05 GMT

Moments after the UK left the EU with an 11th-hour deal, the first trucks hauling goods across the new customs border presented their clearance documents to French agents before loading on to a train to pass through the Eurotunnel.

With Britain having finally quit the EU single market and customs union, there were no early signs of feared chaos at the border in the first hours of 1 January 2021.

Scenes in Dover have been quiet as many hauliers have been staying away to avoid being the first to test new border controls. Yann Leriche, chief executive of Getlink which operates the Eurotunnel, told Reuters tweaks to customs procedures might be necessary but that there would be no chaos in the weeks ahead.

But Matt Smith, managing director of HSF Logistics, which ships mainly fresh meat and chilled goods between Britain and Europe, said the new post-Brexit customs systems and paperwork were largely untested.

“We’re not too sure to be honest, it seems to be a bit of a headache,” he told AFP. “There’ll be delays along the line at some stage.”

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/jan/01/first-lorries-cross-into-france-as-britain-and-europe-wake-to-new-brexit-reality

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Well, with Trump Lite Boris running the show, you know there are gonna be serious problems sooner or later. (Most likely the former.)

[appalachiablue]

1. BoJo's Father, Stanley Applies For French Citizenship: Brexit Divided Johnson Family

The father of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he is applying for French citizenship now that Britain has severed ties with the European Union.

Stanley Johnson told France's RTL radio he had always seen himself as French as his mother was born in France. The 80-year-old former Conservative Member of the European Parliament voted Remain in the 2016 Brexit referendum. His son Boris spearheaded the Leave campaign and later took the UK out of the EU as prime minister.

Stanley Johnson explained his reasons for seeking French citizenship in an interview broadcast on Thursday, hours before the UK was due to leave EU trading rules. "It's not about becoming French," he told RTL. "It's about reclaiming what I already have."

He pointed out that his mother was born in France to a French mother. "I will always be European," he added.

> Brexit issues have divided the Johnson family. The prime minister's sister, the journalist Rachel Johnson, left the Conservative Party to join the Liberal Democrats ahead of the 2017 election in protest against Brexit. Their brother, the Conservative MP Jo Johnson, resigned from the cabinet in 2018 to highlight his support for closer links with the EU...

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-55499773

[angrychair]

2. Haven't looked at the deal yet

But I have significant reservations about treating the UK, in any way, fairly in all this.

[Miguelito Loveless]

3. My prediction is that within the next 5 years

the "United" Kingdom will lose Scotland and Northern Ireland. In 10 years it will just be England.