LONDON — Britain’s worst-case scenario predictions of two-day delays at Dover would happen only if the French authorities “decline to be pragmatic,” U.K. Cabinet Minister Michael Gove said Wednesday.
In a letter to trade bodies seen by POLITICO, Gove warned that the government’s “reasonable worst-case scenario” forecasts two-day delays due to border controls, with up to 7,000 trucks stuck at the Port of Dover — regardless of the outcome of ongoing trade talks.
But speaking in the House of Commons on Wednesday, Gove pointed to the role that the French authorities would play, noting they would have the power to send back trucks without the necessary paperwork, “clogging the Dover to Calais crossing.”
“I should stress that [the worst-case scenario] is not a prediction nor a forecast, it is just a prudent exercise of what could occur if we don’t improve preparedness, and of course if our neighbors decline to be pragmatic,” he said.
Gove also doubled down on the need for businesses and individuals to get ready for the post-Brexit border arrangements, which he said will be put in place regardless of the outcome of the negotiations with the EU. Queues, disruption and delay would “subside as unready businesses who had their goods turned back at the French border would not want to repeat the experience,” he said.
Gove’s letter triggered outrage among trade bodies, which said the government is seeking to lay the blame on industry for any border disruption in 2021.
“Traders and logistics providers are still waiting for so much information and clarity from the government, and are shocked by the lack of consistency in government policy, systems planning and procedures,” said Robert Keen, director general of the British International Freight Association. “Making villains of the key workers who have been tackling the impact of the pandemic on the U.K.’s supply chains will not have the same success.”
MPs have also raised concerns. Speaking during the parliamentary debate, Conservative MP and former Cabinet Minister Damian Green warned that queues of that magnitude “would send a chill” through the south of England and have a “disastrous” impact on roads in Kent.
Gove insisted the letter was necessary, pointing out that just one in four U.K. firms believe they are “fully ready” for when the Brexit transition ends on December 31.
Quoting results from a government survey, Gove said that 43 percent of businesses still believe the transition period will be extended even though the deadline for requesting such an extension has passed.