Burnham plans to cut Brexit export red tape to lower prices
Prime Minister Andy Burnham is working on a plan to reduce checks on British exports to the EU, with the government arguing the change will bring prices down, as separate deals on food, farming and other areas are reported to be in progress.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham is working on a plan to cut the red tape that exporters face since Brexit, with the government arguing that fewer checks on goods sent to the European Union will bring prices down for consumers. The proposals target the paperwork and inspections that apply to products such as sausages, flowers and leather goods.
The government says that removing unnecessary barriers to trade with the bloc would make British goods cheaper to sell and, in turn, cheaper to buy. Burnham has argued that the current arrangements add cost and delay for businesses, and that those costs are passed on in the price of everyday products.
The export plan is part of a wider push to rebuild closer ties with the EU. Separate deals on food and farming are reported to be in progress, alongside an emissions trading agreement and a youth mobility scheme. Burnham has said that more ambition on EU relations remains beyond the arrangements currently being negotiated, describing the aim as closer ties with the bloc.
The sources do not set out the exact timing or terms of the deals, and it is not yet clear when the changes to export checks would take effect or how far they would go. Details of the food and farming agreement, and of how the emissions trading and youth mobility arrangements would work, have not been confirmed.
Separately, Burnham has pledged to help homeless veterans off the streets, saying that no person who served in the armed forces should be sleeping rough. Support for veterans has become a priority across both local and national government, he said, and the government intends to focus on those who have served and are now without a home.
Source: manchestereveningnews.co.uk
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