EU 'weakened' as global superpower after Brexit claims Buiter
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Earlier this week, a new survey indicated a third of British consumers have stopped buying produce from EU countries since Brexit. Sir John said the results of that survey emphasised exactly why the bloc needs to make it as simple as possible to get goods into the UK – instead of its current “curious” attitude. The research, undertaken Censuswide for Eskenzi PR and Marketing quizzing 1,000 people living in the UK, found 34 percent had stopped buying goods and services from the EU since the UK finally severed all ties from the bloc following the end of the Brexit transition period on December 31.
Now Brexiteer Sir John has taken to Twitter to reveal he is awaiting an order of Cornish fish he made online to be delivered, while taking a swipe at the lack of fresh UK produce currently available in supermarkets.
He wrote: “Getting a delivery of Cornish fish this week from an internet order as some supermarkets still not offering enough UK fresh produce.”
From the poll earlier this week, costs and delays were cited as the biggest concerns for younger consumers, with nearly a quarter (24 percent) of 16–24-year-olds suggesting an increase in price had put them off.
Just over a quarter (26 percent) suggested increased delays were behind the decision to stop shopping with Europe.
In a blog post on his website, Sir John wrote: “It is curious if true that the EU is trying to impede exports to us as well as seeking to make our exports to them difficult.
“The UK has made clear it was not going to impose new barriers at our ports to get in the way of the substantial volume of imports from the EU that we have accepted, and is working with a grace period at our borders.
“Despite this there are reports of surcharges on card transactions and postal delays.
“It is also true that some continental websites have failed to collect UK VAT as required leading to an extra bill for the UK consumer who expected VAT to be included in the pricing.”
He continued: “I myself have long followed a policy of buying UK food items wherever possible, to cut the food miles and to back UK fishing and farming.
“My second choice is to import from a developing country who are in more need of the trade and who have warmer climates offering products we cannot grow here.”
Yvonne Eskenzi, co-founder and director at Eskenzi PR, which commissioned the study that was published this week, said the “bad publicity” around buying products from the EU following Brexit was “clearly having an impact on consumer buying habits”.
She said it has become increasingly clear consumers in the UK are now being “put off” buying products from the bloc because of “various complications” resulting from Brexit.
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Ms Eskenzi said: “Following all the bad publicity around buying products from the EU post-Brexit, it is clearly having an impact on consumer buying habits.
“It is evident to see that UK consumers are being put off buying goods from the EU due to the various complications Brexit has created.
“We can only hope that this is a temporary measure: post-Brexit Britain is still in its embryonic stage, and the true nature of our new relationship will have to be measured across the course of the following months – and indeed, years.”
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