Manufacturers to get another year to comply with Brexit bureaucracy

UKCA mark deadline pushed back to 1 January 2023

Boris Johnson has trumpeted the supposed benefits of Brexit for businesses (AP)

British manufacturing businesses are to get another year to comply with Brexit red tape following concerns that an impending deadline could have sent them into chaos.

The Independent previously reported that vital parts for UK goods, such as cars and fridges, could fall into legal limbo if the government took too long to replace the ubiquitous European “CE” mark.

The new “UKCA” mark was due to be a requirement from 1 January 2022, but that deadline will now slip back to 1 January 2023 under new government plans.

The decision, confirmed by the government’s business department on Tuesday, is another sign that the government was poorly prepared for the consequences of Brexit.

Industry bodies, factories and conformity assessors had previously told The Independent that there was not enough capacity, or no capacity at all, for testing certain goods ahead of the previous 2022 UKCA compliance deadline.

They said it risked a falling out between business and government if, as feared, it derailed British supply chains. It could also have held up businesses’ recovery efforts in the wake of the pandemic.

But businesses will now have another year to get approved under the new system.

Ahead of the U-turn, the British Chambers of Commerce had told The Independent that they had “serious concerns about the effect on business of the looming deadline”.

A business department spokesperson previously said of the new kite mark: “Businesses have a responsibility to ensure their products meet the requirements of regulations. We continue to work with industry on this issue and to ensure they understand their obligations.”