Stuck in Kent: How Brexit Red Tape Choked Cross-Border Trade
- Traders are stuck because of a lack of trained customs agents
- Shortage is causing delays and hampering recovery in trade
Trucks at the exit to the Sevington Inland Border facility for customs clearance near Mersham, U.K.
Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Branimir Vuckovic shuttles goods back and forth between Britain and the European Union, his Beep Beep Express Ltd. making deliveries to clients in Germany, Serbia and his native Croatia.
But now he is stuck. The 45-year-old can’t find a broker to prepare the customs documents he needs after Brexit. Vuckovic spent this week driving around Kent seeking help -- to no avail. He was repeatedly turned away by shipping agents who weren’t taking on new clients.