It is not yet clear whether the UK will leave the European Union with or without a deal. We do not currently know what a deal looks like but we do know what ‘no deal’ looks like and HM Government is attempting to prepare companies for that eventuality. UKFT is doing everything it can to make this process easier for fashion and textile exporters (and importers) by posting the most important documents and links here.

These are not the only ones but they are the most important for our industry. We will update them as information becomes available.

HM Government has produced a series of guides for businesses that trade with the EU in the event of a ‘no deal’ Brexit. These cover:

• Customs procedures
• Moving goods to and from the UK
• VAT IT systems rules and processes
• Trading goods regulated under the ‘New Approach’ if there’s no Brexit deal

As a member of the EU, the UK currently participates in around 40 free trade agreements with over 70 countries. Here is the latest guidance on: Existing free trade agreements if there is a ‘no deal’ Brexit.

The European Commission has also produced its own checklist for exporters to the UK but this would also be of interest for UK brands and retailers manufacturing in or buying from the EU. Among other things, the document states: Customs duties will apply to goods entering the EU from the UK, without preferences. Authorisations for customs simplifications or procedures, such as customs warehousing issued by the UK will no longer be valid in the EU27.

Finally, it also highlights that member states will charge VAT at importation of goods from the UK, exports to the UK will be exempt of VAT but UK VAT will be due on arrival.

There is no information on what the impact will be on tradeshow costs.

Read the full guide here.

HM Government has produced a series of specific consumer goods documents relating to a ‘no deal’ Brexit. The latest information is here.

UKFT has a complete list of the likely WTO tariff rates for fashion and textile products in the event of a ‘no deal’ scenario. For information or advice on tariff rates, UKFT members should contact info@ukft.org.

Read more about what the new EU-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) means for UK fashion and textiles here.

CITES: Do you import or export items covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES)? These might be for example: vicuna yarn & other products, alligator hide or skin, certain furs or certain reptile skins. The latest guidance on trading and moving endangered species protected by CITES if there is no withdrawal deal is here.

Since the EU referendum, UKFT has been actively and regularly engaging with the Government. From The Prime Minster, The Rt Hon Theresa May MP to HM Treasury, the International Trade Select Committee and the Departments for International Trade, Exiting the EU, Culture Media & Sport and Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy respectively.

Additionally, we have and continue to collaborate closely with organisations such as the Engineering Employers Federation and the Creative Industries Federation. UKFT has given interviews regarding the potential impact of Brexit on the fashion and textile industry to a variety of national news outlets including Sky and BBC, as well as presented at numerous events.

Together with other trade bodies, UKFT wrote to David Davies in early March 2018 urging the Secretary of State to agree a transition period to ‘allow business to operate as usual and provide continuity and stability’.

UKFT welcomes the recent announcement on the transition agreement. This transition period gives the EU and the UK more time to agree on the details of a new trading relationship and allows industry to plan.

In the months ahead UKFT will continue to:

• Push the industries key requirements around talent, trade, regulation, IP protection and access to funding
• Lobby the government for support to help the industry seize the opportunities that leaving the EU may bring, including significantly increased funding for exports, more support for skills and training and meaningful support for UK manufacturing

In late November 2017, at the request of the Minister for Trade, UKFT Chairman Nigel Lugg brought together a group of leading industrialists to meet the Minister at the House of Commons to discuss the industry’s concerns over Brexit. The group included companies making for the automotive sector, a company making leading edge carbon fibre products for a wide range of application including the aerospace industry, the largest textile manufacturer in the UK, footwear companies, a leading designer, a multinational global brand, a manufacturer and supplier of textiles into the hotel and healthcare sector, a supplier of uniforms to the emergency services, one of the largest fashion suppliers to the UK and a small high-end accessories manufacturer.

Early January 2018 saw the publication of the draft Taxation (Cross-border Trade) Bill and the draft Trade Bill. The Taxation Bill sets out the framework that will allow the Government to establish a standalone Customs regime, so that the UK can set it’s own tariff schedule, charge duties, implement customs unions with other markets and to establish trade remedies, such as anti-dumping duties etc. Of particular note is that it includes a written commitment to replicate the EU’s GSP scheme, which should mean that the UK maintains duty free access to important supply countries such as Bangladesh, Laos, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Vietnam. The Bill also starts to outline procedures around Rules of Origin and how the UK Government might replicate Outward Processing Relief. The Trade Bill will give the Government the ability to agree Free Trade Agreements, sets out the establishment of a Trade Remedies Authority, which will deal with issues such as anti-dumping and extends the power of HMRC to collect export data.

UKFT’s CEO also met with the EU’s Head of Representative to the UK in January to discuss the industry’s demands over the exit from the EU and the contents of a new trade deal. UKFT were able to demonstrate that the UK industry and the EU industry were aligned on all issues of importance and the Head of Representation agreed to feed UKFT’s views to the EU’s negotiating team.