Time is running out to prevent disastrous no deal Brexit - Which? CEO

Peter Vicary-Smith, Which? CEO | Which?

The CEO of consumer organisation Which? writes with concerns over a final Brexit deal or worse still, no deal. He argues that "the success of Brexit will ultimately be judged by how it affects all of us in our everyday lives".



Fudge for breakfast, fudge for lunch and fudge for dinner.

It's no wonder Britain seems so toothless in its efforts to move forward with a Brexit plan that works for the people of this country.

Somehow, more than two years have passed since Britain voted to leave the European Union, but we’ve barely started negotiating what the future UK-EU relationship will look like - and, vitally, what it will mean for millions of consumers.

Theresa May’s determination to get a good deal has been getting ever more bogged down by the challenge of providing proposals her own party and a divided parliament will unite behind.

Instead of confronting the tough choices needed to make a breakthrough at the earliest opportunity, the Government has repeatedly dragged its feet on laying out the detailed plans needed to reassure consumers and businesses.

All the while, and with MPs away for the summer recess period, the clock keeps ticking.

It goes without saying that for millions of UK consumers, crashing out of the EU with no deal and backup plan ready to swing into action could have disastrous consequences.

And yet with only a few months left to agree terms, the scale of disruption we might face if we fail to reach a deal in time is completely unknown, as is whether the UK will have the necessary preparations in place for such an outcome.

We’ve all heard the horror stories - grounded flights, food rotting at our ports as supermarket prices soar - military generators on Irish Sea barges keeping the lights on in Northern Ireland.

Logic dictates that no Government could allow any of these “Doomsday Brexit” scenarios to transpire.

And at least with aspects of the Brexit White Paper, the PM and her cabinet have shown intent to make real progress.

I have written to the Prime Minister since the Chequers proposals were published, reiterating that Which? believes the success of Brexit will ultimately be judged by how it affects all of us in our everyday lives.

Earlier this year we set out four consumer tests for a successful Brexit and nine priorities for the negotiations.

The four tests: that as we leave the EU, consumers can continue to have confidence in the safety and quality of products they buy; that they still have access to a wide range of high-quality goods and services; that they still enjoy the same level of rights and protections if things go wrong; and that any price rises as a result of Brexit will be limited.

We recognised that there were great opportunities, as well as risks. A chance to ditch the wasteful Common Agricultural Policy and replace it with a joined-up national food and farming policy that maintains the highest food standards and meets the nation’s health needs.

And an opportunity to put in place a robust system for testing, safety standards and recall of faulty products where - as the scandal of fire-risk Whirlpool tumble dryers has shown us - the current regime is failing.

We’re pleased that many of the most important issues for consumers have been considered in the Chequers proposals.

Achieving free and frictionless trade, with zero tariffs on goods, is of course key to ensuring consumers get a good deal from Brexit, so it is right that it takes centre stage in the plan.

The commitment to continuing cooperation and maintaining high standards on consumer protection is also welcome - but we believe Britain can aim higher.

The Government should push on with pursuing the 'race to the top' vision of quality and safety standards it set out earlier this year.

Travel is another area where consumers expect to retain at least the same freedoms and benefits they currently enjoy - and more than three-quarters of the 70 million trips abroad taken each year by UK residents are to the other 27 EU member states.

So the goal of maintaining the EHIC arrangements that give us access to state-provided healthcare abroad is welcome, as are proposals to maintain air travel through the Air Transport Arrangement, participate in the European Aviation Safety Authority and ensure we maintain the same access for motorists and visa free travel to Europe.

However it is disappointing that the Government has not outlined clear plans to ensure our hard-won free mobile phone roaming rights continue after Brexit.

Almost seven in 10 people have told us that this convenient scheme - which protects people from unknowingly running up phone bills of thousands of pounds while abroad - is important to them.

It is surprising that the Government has not proposed staying in the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which plays an important role in intelligence sharing and food safety assessment and sets the international benchmark on many aspects of food standards.

If the UK is indeed to have a “common rulebook” with the EU on some aspects of food and farming we should be seeking to have as many levers of influence as possible over those rules.

Food standards are critically important to British people and politicians risk the wrath of voters if they get it wrong on this issue.

The Chequers proposals give the Government some flexibility to diverge from the EU on food. This flexibility should be used to improve standards after Brexit - for example to introduce mandatory traffic light labelling so we have clearer nutritional information about the products on our supermarket shelves.

It must not be used as a licence to dilute our existing food standards in pursuit of trade deals abroad. Almost four in five people have told Which? they expect food standards to stay the same or improve after Brexit.

As a nation of innovators, with a history of competing and collaborating successfully across the globe, Britain has many things on its side as we enter this key phase of the Brexit negotiations.

Time, however, is not one of them.

The real measuring stick for consumers will be the outcomes achieved in the final deal with the EU.

The time for fudging is over. It is therefore vital that the Government builds on what it has already proposed and stands ready to defend the rights and expectations of British consumers at the Brussels negotiating table.



Read more from Which? CEO Peter Vicary-Smith