Firms risk post-Brexit trade ban over ‘incorrect’ licences

Half of Irish firms trading with Britain risk being blocked from continuing the UK deals if there is a no-deal Brexit in 11 days time because they do not have the “minimum” licences to do so.

Fianna Fáil finance spokesman Michael McGrath raised the multi-million euro industry concern after it emerged that tens of thousands of companies still do not have the right paperwork for the post-Brexit deals.

No-deal Brexit concerns will dominate Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s meeting with French president Emmanuel Macron in Paris tomorrow, and German chancellor Angela Merkel in Dublin on Thursday.

he said the issue must be tackled now.British prime minister Theresa May is considering a fourth Brexit deal vote tomorrow and MPs are preparing to vote on other options today.

In a parliamentary question response to the Fianna Fail TD, the Department of Finance confirmed just half of businesses which trade with the UK have the right Revenue paperwork to continue the deals post-Brexit.

Noting the Economic Operators Registration and Identification (EORI) number records, the department said while there has been a year-on-year increase in firms obtaining the right “minimum requirements” to keep doing UK deals, tens of thousands of companies are not covered.

“Revenue identified approximately 84,000 businesses who, according to Revenue records traded with the UK in 2017,” said the department. “Within this group, 62,000 were not registered for an EORI number.

“Revenue wrote to those businesses and advised them to register for an EORI as soon as possible if they intended to trade with or through the UK post- Brexit.”

Mr McGrath said that while it is hoped a no-deal Brexit can be avoided, the “ongoing uncertainty in the UK means a disorderly Brexit on April 12 is a very real possibility”.

“The consequences of a disorderly Brexit would be devastating enough in its own right,” he said.

We don’t need to add to the problem by not having basic preparations in place.

The concerns were raised as British prime minister Theresa May considers seeking a fourth vote on her battered Brexit deal tomorrow, and as MPs today are asked to vote on indicative options, including no deal, a customs union, and a second referendum.

Irish and EU sources confirmed that while they are hopeful of a deal, no-deal and border discussions have “intensified”.