How a no deal Brexit will affect our daily lives

by Liam Furby
Posted on
6 years ago
2 min read

The UK government has published the first of their plans for a no deal Brexit. Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab said the UK government is ready to accept a no deal scenario, despite the evidence saying a no deal would be the worst possible option for public services, jobs and living standards.

We already know the long term damage of leaving the EU without a deal. For Scotland, a no deal Brexit will see our economy shrink by £12.7 billion by 2030 and reduce real disposable income by almost 10 per cent. A no deal Brexit will also reduce jobs by 80,000 in Scotland.

Here are a few things that will happen in the event of the Tories’ no deal Brexit.

Holidays will become even more expensive

The fall in the value of the pound has made the cost of European holidays more expensive and, outside of the EU, we may need to pay additional charges for going on holiday too. Now the UK government has confirmed that booking accommodation on AirBnB and flights on RyanAir could become more expensive too.

People living in the EU could lose access to UK bank accounts

Alongside more expensive credit card payments when buying EU products, UK citizens living abroad could also lose access to their bank accounts and face slower processing times.

Medicines will have to be stockpiled

Brexit Secretary Dominic Rabb confirmed that at least six weeks worth worth of medical supplies would need to be stockpiled by the NHS in order to ensure there would be no immediate medical shortages.

Any disruption to medical supply exports could even delay NHS patients from accessing innovative treatments.

Loss of access to pensions income

The UK government confirmed that leaving the Single Market without a deal would see the UK labelled a “third country”. That could see people who have lived and work in the EU lose access to their pensions, if they had paid into European pensions schemes.

It will be more expensive and complicated to buy from the EU

The UK government has confirmed that a ‘no deal’ Brexit would mean higher card payments for UK customers buying goods from the EU. And parcels costing up to £135 will have VAT added on top.  

More red tape and bureaucracy for businesses

With a no deal outcome, the UK government is encouraging businesses to employ experts to help them navigate the EU’s customs rules for “third countries”. This will put an extra burden on businesses and increase costs for importing and exporting.

Organic farmers will face an EU embargo on goods

With a no deal outcome, organic farmers could face an effective embargo on exporting goods to the European Union of up to nine months – due to farmers losing Brussels certification.