Comment from FTA on the government’s Brexit announcement at the Conservative Party Conference

Thursday 03 October 2019

James Hookham, Deputy CEO of FTA, which speaks for the logistics industry, commented:

“While a deal is preferable to the potential disruption which a No Deal Brexit would bring, FTA will continue to advise government on how the logistics industry can Keep Britain Trading, whatever the potential solution.  

“FTA has offered to help the Government develop and implement an effective solution for trade on the island of Ireland and, while this offer has yet to be taken up, our door remains open.

“However, with no certainty that these new proposals will lead to a deal, we continue to urge our members to prepare as fully as possible, given the time available, for a No Deal exit from the EU. With only three weeks to go, a number of important questions and clarifications on our No Deal readiness dashboard remain unanswered, and we urge Government to resolve and mitigate the significant risks to trade still posed by a No Deal exit from the EU on 31 October.”

Efficient logistics is vital to keep Britain trading, directly having an impact on more than seven million people employed in the making, selling and moving of goods.  With Brexit, new technology and other disruptive forces driving change in the way goods move across borders and through the supply chain, logistics has never been more important to UK plc.  A champion and challenger, FTA speaks to government with one voice on behalf of the whole sector, with members from the road, rail, sea and air industries, as well as the buyers of freight services such as retailers and manufacturers.