UK scraps post-Brexit Kent permit for lorries
The UK has decided to scrap the post-Brexit Kent Access Permit required for lorry drivers to enter the county on their way to the EU.
The government has said the permit is no longer necessary as lorry companies are now used to new customs rules and are coming prepared with the right paperwork for border crossings.
Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove laid out the proposal last October in a bid to stop congestion in the lead up to Dover.
The so-called Kent passport ensured that only lorry drivers who have the right paperwork and customs declarations could enter the county post-Brexit.
The government today said that trade volumes between the UK and EU had returned to normal levels, with a statement saying there was a 46 per cent increase in exports to the bloc after a large decline in January.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps this morning tweeted: “From today Kent Access Permits are a thing of the past for lorries crossing the Short Straits
“As trade returns to normal levels, delays at the border have been prevented thanks to hauliers arriving prepared.”
The lift in UK to EU exports comes after a myriad of problems for British companies sending goods to the bloc after the Brexit transition period ended on 31 December.
A Federation of Small Businesses survey last month showed that 23 per cent of small UK businesses that exported to the EU in 2020 had temporarily stopped selling to the bloc, while 4 per cent had stopped for good.
The EU implemented full customs checks on things like agricultural goods and procedures after the UK left the single market and customs union on 31 December.
This led to UK exporters needing to fill out lengthy paperwork and navigate new customs systems, which is turning some companies off selling to the EU and to lengthy delays at the border.