'So we've rented a warehouse to store these bits of paper that nobody looks at in the first place.'

M&S has had to rent a warehouse to store the documentation that accompanies food shipments to the Republic of Ireland.

Every lorry sent to Ireland must be accompanied by hundreds of pages of documentation, which the retailer is required to keep for six years. 

The chair of M&S, Archie Norman, told Times Radio that “every wagon going into the Republic of Ireland has to be accompanied by 700 pages of written text, including VET certifications covering every piece of butter and chicken or a sandwich”. 

In the interview with Cathy Newman, Norman stressed that the UK applies the same restrictions to EU suppliers, stating “on both sides, we’ve created this tangled web of friction around trade”.

Norman explained that M&S has to keep all of the documentation that goes with wagons into the Republic of Ireland, “so we’ve rented a warehouse to store these bits of paper that nobody looks at in the first place”. 

He said that M&S’ food business in Ireland is “a good business but we don’t make much money out of it because of the border controls”. 

Following her meeting with Eurogroup finance ministers in Brussels last week, chancellor Rachel Reeves reiterated that the UK will not rejoin the single market, customs union, or Freedom of Movement, as set out in Labour’s manifesto. 

A poll carried out by the National Centre for Social Research in July found that 51% of voters believe there should be a new referendum on the UK’s membership in the European Union within the next five years.

However, support for this idea varies depending on individuals’ views on Brexit.

Among those who voted Remain in 2016, two-thirds (67%) believe there should be another vote within the next five years.

By contrast, nearly two-thirds (64%) of Leave voters oppose a new referendum, while 28% are in favour.

Olivia Barber is a reporter at Left Foot Forward

Image credit: Samuel Regan-Asante, Unsplash

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