The Public Accounts Committee report says preparations for Brexit are being hampered by uncertainty over UK’s future relationship with the EU.
- Read the report summary
- Read the report conclusions and recommendations
- Read the full report: Exiting the European Union: The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and the Department for International Trade
Preparations being hampered by the pervasive uncertainty
The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Department for International Trade (DIT) face an unprecedented challenge in preparing for Brexit.
Their preparations, however, are being hampered by the pervasive uncertainty about the UK’s future relationship with the EU, which leaves not only departments but also businesses in the dark about exactly what they need to do to prepare.
This means that Defra, in particular, is having to work up options for the three different scenarios—deal, no deal or transition. This is time consuming and costly. It also has to navigate new legislation and major IT programmes in very short time.