‘Britain not ready for Brexit’

British MPs warn country has not installed infrastructure to ensure transition

LONDON:

Britain has not yet installed all the complex IT systems and port infrastructure needed to ensure Brexit runs smoothly, a group of British MPs warned in a report released Saturday.

The Committee on the Future Relationship with the European Union, a cross-party group of lawmakers, released the report after meeting Thursday online.

The group said they were “concerned about the overall state of readiness” and warned that “some decisions on infrastructure have been taken too late”. The “early months... are likely to be difficult”, the report said, echoing comments by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who conceded the switch to new rules “might be difficult at first”.

“With just seven working days until the end of the transition period, significant concerns remain,” said Hilary Benn, a prominent Labour MP who chairs the committee. Britain left the EU in January but is in a standstill transition period until December 31, during which the bloc’s rules mostly still apply while trade talks are held.

Deal or no deal, change is coming on January 1, as Britain will leave the EU single market and customs union. But Benn said the government “still cannot provide business, traders and citizens with certainty about what will happen in all the areas affected by the negotiations”. The report criticised delayed delivery of IT systems in places such as ports, making it hard for businesses and traders to learn to use new government systems and update their inhouse technology by the yearend deadline