Just how bad does a Brexit policy have to be for Jacob Rees-Mogg to lash out at it? The Vote Leave stalwart has seemingly caught up with the majority of the British public, after he labelled new laws on fruit and vegetables as ‘really stupid’.
After being postponed five times previously, regulations on fresh produce will be tightened at the border. It means that many staple food items for suppliers and businesses will be subjected to additional checks when coming from the EU.
Delays to service are likely, and hikes in price are inevitable. It’s estimated that these laws will cost the UK an eye-watering £200 million extra – a figure which the government has so far failed to reject.
The latest hare-brained Brexit scheme is likely to come fully into effect by April, with the first set of changes scheduled to be implemented by next week. Alongside cost increases, food shortages are also predicted by some experts.
Roughly half of all food that comes into the UK is from the EU – and 80% of our vegetables come from the trading bloc Britain voted to quit in 2016. Now, it seems, consumers will be footing the bill for these controversial changes.
The situation reeks of farce – to the point where Jacob Rees-Mogg has turned his back on it. The former Minister for Brexit Opportunities stressed that he was ‘strongly opposed’ to these measures during his time in office.
He also slammed the ‘stupidity’ of the policy, perhaps forgetting his monumental role in persuading a majority of the public to vote for Brexit. You can see his reaction – and a neat summary from ITV – in the Tweet below:
