In the endless soap opera to try to solve the puzzle posed by Brexit in Northern Ireland, the boss of Marks & Spencer denounces the solutions envisaged by the British government and the European Union.
The standoff has been going on since Britain left the EU.
London castigates customs controls on products exported to the province of Northern Ireland, yet a member of the United Kingdom.
Because, since the entry into force of Brexit at the beginning of 2021, it has remained a de facto member of the European single market, so as not to recreate a border with the Republic of Ireland.
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To ease these customs checks, the British government is proposing to introduce specific labeling for goods intended to remain in Northern Ireland without entering the EU.
Negotiations are underway with Brussels on this subject, in the hope of reaching a conclusion in the coming months.
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Archie Norman, the boss of the Marks & Spencer chain of stores, has written to the British Foreign Secretary to criticize measures that are
“too burdensome”,
which would lead
to “cost increases and reduced choice for consumers, and would further disadvantage plus British farmers and suppliers".
“In the digital age, when by touching their mobile phone a customer can be connected to a store that can locate their order in less than sixty seconds, it is just amazing that the government and the European Union have gone back four decades to discuss an expensive “solution” which would involve stickers and labeling”,
continues the leader in his missive.
