Plans to introduce checks on animal and plant products along Britain’s borders in the wake of Brexit have been delayed once again over concerns the move could fuel inflation.
Having been due in October after already-repeated delays, the plans face being pushed back once more, according to a source speaking with the Financial Times.
This is primarily due to the government’s focus on bringing down inflation, they explained, with UK prices climbing 7.3% in the year to June, according to the Office for National Statistics, compared to a targeted 2%.
“The driving force behind this is the need to bear down on inflation,” the source said, “that’s why there will be a delay.”
Introducing additional checks will inevitably lift costs at the border, they continued, through heightened security and a new focus on “imports of live animals, animal products, plants and plant products”.
The government had announced in April that the new border check model would be rolled out in October, before coming into full force a year later in 2024.
However, this rollout is now expected to be delayed despite the release of an operating model coming “shortly”.
Ministers are “carefully considering feedback from stakeholders to ensure they had enough time to prepare”, the source added.