Dundee Businesses Suffering From Effects of Brexit

Stewart Hosie has warned that small businesses are being left to suffer from the effects of Brexit, following the end of the transition period last month.

The Dundee East MP raised the case of Dundee based clothing retailer, Wilde Mode, in the House of Commons recently, whose import costs have risen massively since the end of the transition period.

Prior to Brexit the firm were able to import rolls of fabric from Poland at around €36 per item. Now, due to Brexit related issues with their courier they’ve been quoted a revised delivery price of between €1600-€2000 per item.

At Cabinet Office questions last week, the SNP’s new Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster challenged Michael Gove on proposed measures to ease Brexit import issues, asking when businesses in the UK can expect them to be fully implemented and start working.

Michael Gove has promised to look closer into the specific case.

Commenting Stewart Hosie said:

“Small businesses have been left to pick up the tab for the Tories’ Brexit obsession – something they promised wouldn’t happen.”

“I worry that this is just a small taste of what is yet to come from our crashing out of the EU in the midst of a global pandemic, where small businesses have already endured so much hardship.”

“The measures they promised to bring in to alleviate the issues that companies like Wilde Mode now face clearly aren’t working – no matter how much they try to spin it.”

“I’m grateful to the Minister for promising to look into this specific matter further but he’ll have to do a hell of a lot to reverse the untold harm that has been done to so many small firms in such a short space of time.”

ENDS