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Life after Brexit

Less than three weeks after Britain finally agreed new trade rules and regulations with the European Union, UK consumers who had bought goods online from the continent were shocked to discover that they had to pay extra just to have their items delivered. Brexit, suddenly, had a price for individuals and companies. Brexit
Shoppers who purchased items from EU websites are facing demands of more than £100 in import duties that have to be paid before parcel firms will deliver them to their homes.
Amidst the misery of the covid pandemic and its record death toll, Britain’s Conservative government is now facing a flurry of complaints that life outside the EU is not matching the promises that were made around the most divisive issue this country has faced since the second world war.
On December 30 Boris Johnson stood triumphantly in the House of Commons and proclaimed the rebirth of Britain as an independent nation, with tariff-free trade with the EU after the year-long transition period ended a day later. “We are going to open a new chapter in our national story,” he declared as MP’s approved his deal, which was secured on Christmas Eve after months of nerve-wracking negotiations with Brussels.
New requirements have already put thousands of specialist online businesses at risk as consumers on both sides of the English Channel balk at having to pay hefty import fees. These unwelcome novelties fuelled doubts about the claim that “global Britain” will prosper outside the EU – the world’s most successful single market with nearly 450 million people.
And it is not just critics from the Labour opposition. Johnson’s predecessor as prime minister, Theresa May, attacked him for abandoning Britain’s “position of global moral leadership” on the eve of the inauguration of Joe Biden as US president by threatening to break international law during the Brexit talks and by cutting the UK’s commitment to devote 0.7% of GDP to relieve poverty.
Alarmingly for Johnson, it is becoming clear that Biden will prioritise dealing with the enormous damage covid has inflicted on the US economy before embarking on any new free trade agreements. A former British ambassador to Washington predicted last week that the UK would be “lucky” to strike a trade deal with the US over the next four years.
The prime minister, who was referred to by Donald Trump when he was president as “Britain Trump”, is keen to establish a good working relationship with Biden, who the government hopes will attend the G7 summit in Cornwall in June.
In a rare moment of candour Johnson admitted that the deal with Brussels “does not go as far as we would like” for financial services, which employ over 1 million people and constitute a whopping 7% of British GDP. But what does that matter when Britain, as he routinely expresses it, has succeeded under his leadership in “seizing back control”?
Johnson won the election in December 2019 on the simplistic pledge to “get Brexit done.” He was able to benefit from the ambivalent position of Labour and ended up with an impressively large majority in parliament. UK membership of the EU has always been a toxic subject since it joined the then European Economic Community in 1973. But many voters were simply fed up.
The reality of life outside the EU is only just starting to sink in. Attention has focused on the fishing industry, which accounts for just 0.1% of the UK economy, but that is relatively easy to understand – especially when protests involve huge trucks breaking the national lockdown and emblazoned with angry slogans outside the House of Commons. Meat prices are also plummeting due to delayed exports.
Another issue is complaints by British rock stars that their European tours could be wrecked by post-Brexit visa rules. Big names like Elton John have protested that they were “shamefully failed” by the government over the increased red tape facing musicians at the border of each individual EU member state.
In Northern Ireland – with a special status because of its proximity to Ireland, which remains in the EU – there are logistical problems involving new border checks with hauliers complaining that these caused shortages of food, deliveries of equipment to the National Health Service and farm machinery, despite claims by the government that it was all going “smoothly” or that these were simply “teething troubles.”
In one case a lorry load of potato crisps was held up for two days because the owner was unable to provide paperwork proving that the potatoes had not been imported into the UK from somewhere else. Another haulage company described the situation as “absolute carnage.”
And a row erupted about the status of the EU’s ambassador to the UK, with Johnson’s government insisting it will not give him and his 25-strong mission the privileges and immunities afforded to diplomats under the Vienna Convention. That position was described as an “insult.”
But in these dark times there is occasionally light relief. Leading Eurosceptic MP Jacob Rees-Mogg declared in parliament he thinks fish are “better and happier” because Brexit makes them more British. At least that!! Brexit
IAN BLACK
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BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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