Prime minister Boris Johnson promised to take Britain out of the European Union “do or die” on October 31, even if that meant risking chaos at the borders.
He failed to deliver on his pledge, however, and on Thursday ferries at the northern French port of Calais disgorged trucks by the dozens without border formalities, a fluid operation that allows just-in-time delivery within Europe’s single market, reports Reuters.
The renewed delay to Brexit, to January 31, spares businesses in Calais, the French port city whose fortunes are deeply intertwined with Britain’s economy — at least for now.
But with Britain heading for a December 12 election that could return a very different parliament to that which rejected Johnson’s plans, the future remains uncertain.
“We’re all a bit fed up,” said Calais port chief Jean-Marc Puissesseau. Brexit delays, he said, fouled up budget planning.
“The longer Brexit is delayed, the less clarity we have over what comes next.”
Puissesseau’s remarks reflect a wider irritation in northern France’s transport, logistics and fisheries industries, whose businesses have had to move their preparedness plans as the Brexit deadline shifts, sucking up costs as they do so.
A 6 million euro investment in infrastructure to restore a hard border at Calais port in the event of a no-deal rupture may have been for nothing — an outcome Puissesseau said he would be glad of if it meant friction-free trade continued.
The maritime route across the 23-mile wide Strait of Dover has been one of Britain’s main arteries for European trade since the Middle Ages. Calais handles some 2 million trucks per year and a 700 million euro expansion to be completed in January 2021 will double capacity.