This is because Johnson lied when he said this is a tariff free, free trade agreement.Publishing a 1,449 page long agreement the day before it comes into force (with no clues as to what might be in it beforehand) was an act of unbelievable madness. How can any business (big or small) be expected to operate under those circumstances.But let's look at some examples:1. Tea and coffee. There was a good market for English tea in the EEA. Not anymore. It will be a "a non-originating material" as "simple placing in bottles, cans, flasks, bags, cases, boxes, fixing on cards or boards and all other simple packaging operations;".2. Cars - e.g. if the engine is brought in from Japan but the rest of the car built here, if the engine represents more than 15% of the weight (I haven't a clue) or 10% of "the exworks price of the product" (which seems likely to me). This is even although Japan has its own free trade agreement with the EU, which we benefitted from (and which the new UK / Japan agreement is very much inferior to).As to financial services - which I do know something about, and a critical part of the UK economy - it is a complete and utter mess. Mentioned 90% times in the whole agreement - but many of those references are to the effect that "This Article shall not apply with respect to financial services"."Fish" (a minuscule part of the UK economy) is mentioned 368 times (including “fishery” etc). But even this is a con – the UK will have to give up as much in access to EU (and Norweigen) fishing waters as it gains by excluding EU boats from UK waters. The truth of this con is already beginning to dawn on people.So, all in all, the UK / EU “Trade Deal” is nothing more than some widow dressing, or a fig leaf to enable Johnson to say that he “got a deal”. He has well and truly sold the UK down the river.If anyone still believes that the deal is a good deal, or that Brexit makes any sense at all (except for tax avoiders, or interests that want to reduce financial stability measures, consumer, worker and environmental protection measures), then you have been well and truly hoodwinked.I write this with a large amount of bitterness. I have been very busy over the last year helping banks and other financial institutions move their businesses out of the UK, or to close their branches, putting people out of work. I have seen many good people lose their livelihoods, with no realistic prospect of finding other work. As I have mentioned before, these are not your mega rich bankers, this are your ordinary (if reasonably well paid) retail banking managers, etc. The financial services industry has the resources to look and plan ahead (in fact it is required by regulation to do so). Other sectors do not have this advantage – and in any event were operating blind as to the new regime until the day before it came into effect. This carnage will be repeated in industry after industry across the UK.As David Lammy famously said in Parliament two years ago “Brexit is a con. A trick. A swindle. A fraud. A deception that will hurt most those people it promised to help. A dangerous fantasy which will make every problem it claims to solve worse.”
T P Howell ● 2119d