Frustrated caller brands Boris Johnson a 'liar' after Brexit forced the closure his business
12 April 2023, 15:10
Frustrated caller says Brexit forced him to sell up shop and close his business
As President Biden's visit to Belfast reignites Brexit talks, this defeated caller labels Boris Johnson a "liar" after he promised "frictionless trading" post-Brexit.
After President Biden met with leaders to encourage the DUP to end it's Brexit protests, this James O'Brien caller, Vinal in Wood Green, highlighted the impact that Brexit has had on his business.
Vinal told James: "I had a successful business started in 2009, I've been in retail all my life manufacturing video games accessories... we were supplying Europe heavily and then all of a sudden Brexit came in and this frictionless trading that Boris jigged about was all lies.
"We couldn't trade anymore, we saw it coming. People on the continent, French companies went, 'There's an opportunity for us' and why not? They took over that business.
"Our USP was speed, was design but ultimately none of that mattered because we couldn't get them to a matter price, nor could we get it in a timely manner... we had to close up, sell shop, sold the brand on."
Vinal went on: "We [the UK] are so small on a global scale it's scary... there a massive markets that are so much bigger than we are and we seem to think that we should be punching bigger than we are."
James agreed: "Well that's exceptionalism, that's rule Britannia... that's so much of what we've lived through in the last few years.
"That idea that, 'No, no, no, I think you'll find we're English old boy, therefore these things won't apply to us, we'll be able to continue using all the facilities despite having resigned our membership of the club and stopped paying our subs - they'll come to us.'"
James continued: "Simply, we have made it harder to do business for ourselves."
Vinal concurred: "For some reason there's a big disconnect between the people making decisions and the reality of actually how trade is and they're being advised to do certain things that actually isn't helping businesses and the economy grow."
