Selfish Tory government is to blame for slumping EU exports

There was a depressing inevitability about the latest round of bad news relating to Brexit.

According to a survey by hauliers, British exports to the EU have slumped by 68 per cent.

It is also claimed 65-75 per cent of vehicles arriving from the EU were returning to the bloc empty.

The human cost behind these figures will be firms going bust and families going bankrupt.

Richard Burnett, chief executive of the Road Haulage Association, said ministers had “chosen not to listen to the industry and experts”. This comes on the back of the Brexit-related delays and costs faced by seafood exporters.

The blame for this fiasco lies squarely with an incompetent and selfish Tory Government.

Boris Johnson and his cronies were part of a dishonest campaign during the 2016 referendum which led to the country voting narrowly for leaving the EU.

In the mess that followed, Johnson refused to back sensible compromises like staying in the single market or the customs union.

They pursued an ideologically rigid Brexit that was oblivious to the concerns of businesses and workers.

Firms are paying for the recklessness of the Tories – with no end in sight.

Potential solutions are not obvious, given that Brexit is a done deal.

However, the UK Government must provide as much support to businesses to help them navigate this nightmare.

Johnson should publically apologise for the mess and vow to sort it out.

If he fails, voters should hit the Tories where it hurts – at the ballot box.

Staff at sharp end

Our story today reveals how workers have been denied access to furlough payments as a result of payroll outsourcing firms collapsing.

Hospitality companies have used these external firms, but their liquidation has left the staff with nothing.

MPs and trade union reps have rightly sounded the alarm and demanded a probe into this worrying situation.

Through no fault of their own and as a result of some oblique business tactics, employees have been left penniless. This matter must be given priority.

The wider issue is that the pandemic has shone an unforgiving light on outdated business practices.

Workers in the UK have paltry rights compared to staff in EU countries.

Our culture of low pay and long hours is not only exploitative, but damaging for mental health and family life.

Staff not getting what they’re entitled to is another slap in the face.

When we talk about “build back better”, a new settlement for workers should be top of the agenda.