Commenting on Michael Gove’s letter to border industries and others on the Government’s Reasonable Worst Case Scenario of significant disruption in Kent Tim Morris, CEO of the UK Major Ports Group, said “The Government is right to launch a plea for UK businesses to prepare for new border arrangements from the 1st January. Regardless of whether a deal with the EU is reached or not, arrangements for handling goods moving to and from the European Union and the UK will change. The implementation of new border controls will mean new requirements, processes and checks. Gove’s letter clearly sets out the potential for significant disruption, particularly in Kent. The UK has a range of ports all around the coast with additional capacity to handle EU-UK trade flows, many of whom are highly experienced in enabling global trade and border processes. It is vital that UK businesses understand their supply chain options and prepare really urgently for likely disruption in some areas and new requirements.”
Notes for Editors: The UK Major Ports Group is the trade body for the UK’s major port operators. It represent nine of the top ten port operators in UK. Our members collectively handle 75% of the UK’s port volumes through 40 ports. These include the largest ports in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. UKMPG members together already invest around £500 million per year in the UK’s ports and related infrastructure.