The paper says that the data, revealed in response to a parliamentary question submitted by Liberal Democrat Europe spokesperson Al Pinkerton, shows that 2,051 haulage companies went bust between 2021 and 2025 – almost double the 1,068 that went bust in the five years prior:
It comes amid growing fears over spiralling prices and shortages as a result of the Iran war, with oil prices having soared in response to Iran’s stranglehold on tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The figures are expected to only get worse in the coming months, as haulage firms scramble to adapt to the full enforcement of the EU’s Entry-Exit System, with the Road Haulage Association warning that 80 per cent of operators expect a decrease in business.
Industry bodies have previously warned that the hit to the economy arising as a result of the new EES system – which requires UK travellers to have their fingerprints registered and a photograph taken to enter the Schengen area – could be as high as £400m.
The Lib Dems are now reiterating calls for the government to find a way for British HGV drivers to bypass this problem.
Europe spokesperson Al Pinkerton told The Independent: “The government must immediately secure an agreement with the EU to allow British hauliers to register biometric details away from the border.
“Failure to do so will have a catastrophic impact, not only for haulage companies who are unable to survive, but also for supply chains and a subsequent increase in food and goods prices for those already facing the effects of the soaring cost of living.
“Ministers must therefore also begin negotiations with our European partners on a customs union.
“A customs union is the single biggest lever the government can pull to boost business, deliver growth, and slash unnecessary Brexit bureaucracy. The government knows this, and it’s high time they do something about it.”
With Trump becoming increasingy hostile to the UK, and with supply problems growing because of his Iranian war, we need to move past Brexit and the restrictions it puts on business, and seek to rebuild a customs union.
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