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Brexit is done, and for many, there’s genuine relief it’s over.

But ongoing disagreements and post-treaty disputes are having real world costs to businesses who say they feel let down and misled by the Brexit process.

The row over fishing rights and the threat of retaliatory action from the French have already cost one oyster producer in Kent tens of thousands of pounds worth of business.

Meanwhile, Sky News has learned that the Department for Transport has asked a Kent lorry park that is due to close shortly, to stay open for a few months longer over Christmas to help with anticipated extra pressure on an already strained supply chain.

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France postpones sanctions over fishing row

“There are only so many hits, so many body punches you can take as a business and get back up and start again,” says James Green, director of The Whitstable Oyster Company.

Mr Green’s business is based in the picturesque north Kent town, famous for its oysters.

It has farmed oysters for generations and is responsible for about a third of the UK’s entire production.

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But Brexit has already cost them dearly. New rules mean he can no longer export fully-grown market-sized oysters to France – those exports had accounted for around 50% of his orders, and that disappeared overnight.

James Green and oysters
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James Green voted for Brexit but says he feels misled

He moved his focus to building up the domestic market, an encouraging albeit slow process, and continuing to export juvenile oysters to France.

This is still allowed because the juveniles are put back in the sea off the coast of France, to be harvested later by his buyers.

But last week as the post-Brexit fishing row intensified, French threats set him back further.

In a disagreement over how many licenses have been granted to French trawlers operating in British waters, France’s president Emmanuel Macron set an ultimatum, demanding the UK grant more or face retaliatory measures including British boats being banned from landing their catch in France and increased customs checks on exported British goods.

Such tightened restrictions might have included the removal of veterinary checks in France that are necessary for James to sell his oysters there. His buyers got nervous and cancelled orders – he lost roughly £25,000 worth in just a few days.

Oysters
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Mr Green’s business is based in the picturesque north Kent town of Whitstable

“With farms you can’t stop, you’ve got to continue otherwise the stock becomes unsellable,” he said.

“There are quite a lot of costs involved in continuing that process, so it’s frustrating.

“Coupled with COVID, coupled with Brexit, coupled with water quality from Southern Water, this is the fourth thing in the space of less than a year that has had a massive impact on our industry.

“You can’t just take away that main market overnight and expect these businesses to continue because they’re just not.”

Oysters
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Whitstable is famous for its oysters

Mr Green voted for Brexit in 2016, and said fishing rights were his key motivator. But the reality has not been as he was promised, and he said repeated reassurances that his exports would not be affected now feel misleading.

“I think the deal we got was very, very poor, very poor,” he said. “So I probably would change my vote, if I’m honest.”

The threats from France were deferred this week, paving the way for talks between Lord Frost, the UK’s chief Brexit negotiator and France’s Secretary of State for European Affairs, Clément Beaune.

Under the Brexit deal, French trawlermen who had traditionally fished between six and 12 miles off the coast of the UK would be allowed to continue to do so as long as they could provide proof they had fished there every year since 2016.

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While the French have said that too few licenses have been granted, the British have said that those not approved have not provided sufficient evidence.

But despite all the smiles and handshakes for the cameras, positions on both sides are still entrenched and no significant progress was made.

The context this side of the Channel is not just businesses suffering, but a supply chain already stacked up.

Some say a system still grappling with global delays and a shortage of lorry drivers can’t cope with much more pressure.

Oysters
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Mr Green’s business has farmed oysters for generations

Any further delays or customs checks at ports may well be seen and felt in lorry parks across Kent.

Sky News has learnt that the Department for Transport has asked one such site, Ashford International Truck Stop that was due to close shortly in favour of a new bigger site next door, to remain open for a few extra months over Christmas.

A sense perhaps that preparations are being made for extra seasonal pressure.

On the other side of the Channel there is another side to this story.

James Green and oysters
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New rules mean Mr Green can no longer export fully-grown market-sized oysters to France

Laurent Merlin fishes for crab from Boulogne sur Mer. He has been fishing in British waters since the 1990s and his father did the same for years before him. But he hasn’t been granted a license yet and he’s getting desperate.

“It’s frustrating because it has now been 10 months that we’ve been waiting,” he said.

“If we get nothing, we will have to react. If we don’t we won’t be able to continue. French waters have been overfished, there are no fish left there.”

Officials will talk again in the coming days and while they’re talking, threats are unlikely to be actioned.

On different sides of these waters there’s different sides to this story, but ongoing disputes are costing.

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Millions urged to read energy meters this weekend to avoid overpaying as price cap falls again

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Millions urged to read energy meters this weekend to avoid overpaying as price cap falls again

Millions of people are being urged to send meter readings to their energy supplier this weekend to ensure they don’t overpay.

The regulator’s price cap drops 12.3% on Monday 1 April, from a typical £1,928 per year for a dual-fuel household to £1,690 – an average saving of about £20 per month.

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People without a smart meter who are on a standard variable tariff (SVT) should send readings so their company has an up-to-date record when the prices change.

“If you delay submitting your readings, some of your energy usage could end up being charged under the higher rates we’re currently facing,” said Ben Gallizzi, energy spokesman for comparison site Uswitch.

This could happen as firms will estimate usage if they don’t have recent readings.

However, if you have a smart meter you shouldn’t have to worry as it’s set up to automatically ensure you are billed correctly.

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Uswitch says a week of energy at the current rates is £4.65 more expensive for the average household than the incoming rates.

About 10 million customers are thought to be on a SVT without a smart meter.

The combination of the cheaper rates and warmer weather is estimated to mean the average household will spend £127 on gas and electricity in April, compared with £205 in March.

Nearly a fifth of people without a smart meter have not submitted a reading in the last three months and 4% haven’t done it for a year, according to a Uswitch survey of 2,000 people.

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What is the price cap and how does it work?

Twelve percent of these customers said they didn’t know where their meter was, while 14% didn’t know how to take a reading.

People without a smart meter are advised to read their meter every month to improve the accuracy of their bills.

The price cap is set by energy regulator Ofgem and is being cut again from the extreme highs of recent years – when it reached over £4,000 – thanks to a drop in wholesale prices,

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Ofgem also launched a consultation on the energy price cap this week, floating options such as a cap based on vulnerability and when energy is used.

The cap, which affects England, Scotland and Wales, was introduced in January 2019 to prevent people on variable tariffs being ripped off.

Initially it was changed a couple of times a year but since 2022 it has been updated every three months.

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‘Modest’ £63 rise in statutory sick pay is overdue, MPs say

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'Modest' £63 rise in statutory sick pay is overdue, MPs say

A “modest” increase in statutory sick pay (SSP) is overdue, according to a committee of MPs who say it must strike a balance between workers’ needs and what employers can afford.

The Work and Pensions Committee recommended a rate in line with the flat rate of Statutory Maternity Pay.

That would see SSP rise from the current weekly level of £109.40 to £172.48 per week.

The MPs also wanted to see SSP paid in combination with usual wages, in order to encourage phased returns to work.

The cross-party committee argued too that all workers should be eligible for SSP, not just those earning above the lower earnings limit of £123.

The government responded to the report by saying that a 6.7% increase would take effect next month.

In making their case, the MPs said they understood that the COVID pandemic and its immediate aftermath were not the right times to be placing additional financial burdens on employers.

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But they noted that a record 185.6 million working days had been lost to sickness or injury in 2022 – a time when the cost of living crisis was gathering pace.

Committee chair Sir Stephen Timms said it was clear the time had come to significantly bolster the support that many people depended on when they were unable to work.

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“Statutory sick pay is failing in its primary purpose to act as a safety net for workers who most need financial help during illness,” he wrote.

“With the country continuing to face high rates of sickness absence, the government can no longer afford to keep kicking the can down the road on reform.

“The committee’s proposals strike the right balance between widening and strengthening support and not placing excessive burdens on business.

“A growing number of workers are now classified as self-employed and a new contributory sick pay scheme for self-employed people would be a welcome step towards ensuring they are they are no worse off financially during periods of sickness than employees on SSP.”

Companies, while sympathising with staff generally over sickness, have long complained about rising costs including for business rates and minimum pay rules.

Lobby groups have warned that the burden already risks being passed on in the form of higher prices, placing the rate of inflation under strain.

A Department for Work and Pensions spokesperson said of the report: “Statutory Sick Pay will increase by 6.7% from April.

“Our £2.5bn Back to Work Plan is tackling sickness absence and getting people back working, while we are expanding access to mental health services and supporting those at risk of long-term unemployment.”

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak responded: “The COVID-19 pandemic showed that our sick pay system is in desperate need of reform.

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“It beggars belief that ministers have done nothing to fix sick pay since.

“It’s a disgrace that so many low-paid and insecure workers up and down the country – most of them women – have to go without financial support when sick.

“The committee is right that ministers urgently need to remove the lower earnings limit and raise the rate of sick pay.

“Wider reform is also needed to remove the three days people must wait before they get any sick pay at all.”

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Boohoo, ASOS and Asda sign new agreement as CMA urges fashion industry to review ‘green’ claims and practices

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Boohoo, ASOS  and Asda sign new agreement as CMA urges fashion industry to review 'green' claims and practices

The competition regulator has urged UK fashion businesses to give accurate information about how environmentally friendly their clothes are after three fast-fashion firms signed a new agreement.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) had initiated an investigation into Boohoo, ASOS and George by Asda over concerns about the way products were marketed as eco-friendly.

Its initial review of the fashion sector had identified concerns of possible greenwashing – making items appear environmentally friendly when they are not.

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What’s changed?

But the firms have pledged to provide clear, prominent and transparent information about any environmental claims made about products, such as using terms like organic or recycled, rather than ambiguous ones like eco, responsible, or sustainable, with no further explanation.

Use of natural imagery such as green leaves or logos to suggest non-existent environmental benefits will also be avoided by the brands.

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Environmental information must be expressed in plain language, be easy to read, and clearly visible to shoppers.

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Any statements about fabric composition must be similarly clear and specific: the percentage of recycled or organic fibres must be clearly displayed.

If a brand has a specific range of clothes, designed to have less of a negative environmental impact than other products, then companies must provide detail on minimum requirements for items to be included in the collection.

Minimum percentages of recycled material, for example, should be made clear.

Any environmental targets set by fashion businesses must be supported by a clear and verifiable strategy with customers able to access more details about the goals.

Information must be provided on what the target is aiming to achieve, the date by which it is to be met, and how the company will reach it.

“A turning point for the industry”

These pledges “set a benchmark for the industry”, the CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell said, and build on already established marketing regulations.

In an open letter, the CMA called on fashion businesses to familiarise themselves with the new undertakings.

“This also marks a turning point for the industry… we expect the sector as a whole – from high street to designer brands – to take note and review their own practices,” Ms Cardell said.

More guidance for the fashion industry is to be published by the CMA, it said.

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