Following the signing of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) on the 24th December 2020, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnston stated that non-tariff barriers to trade with the EU would be removed and that business with the bloc would be normal. Over one year on, the effects have appeared less dramatic than expected. However, this does not mean there has not been fallout or that there will not be changes.

Despite the deal, which promised zero tariffs and no quotas between Britain and the EU, many have expressed concerns over having to comply with costly customs checks, documentation requirements, and lengthy processes, which have slowed down business.

Many have also witnessed significant administrative burdens and, in some cases, delays in trading since the transition period ended, as reported by the European Affairs Committee. Some of these issues included compliance with origin rules, complex Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) new customs requirements, and new VAT requirements. While there were undeniably some initial teething problems on top of the chaos caused by COVID-19, many of those difficulties and costs are claimed by the committee to be direct results of the new relationship with the EU.