“TAKE back control.” “Get our country back.” Remember, 2016?

Followed by “Get Brexit done”, “Unleash Britain’s potential”, in 2019. And where are we now?

Our supermarket and shop shelves are emptying by the week. Predicted to be far worse as we approach Christmas.

We have a massive shortfall of 100,000 HGV drivers. European drivers going back to home counties and then not being able to get back into the UK.

And likewise a massive shortage of labour working in food production and processing factories.

And this along with customs costs wholesale destroying businesses that were trading with EU countries. All 26 EU countries now have to be dealt with one by one with huge rise in complexity and costs.

When we pressed the “Get it done” button we ended free movement of labour, trade, capital, and services, with consequences. And all so predictable. End movement of people and of course there will be shortages of labour. Rack up border customs and VAT and of course prices will go up.

There will of course be howls of outrage against this view. Covid plays a part, but the clincher, end of free movement, is what locks in the huge loss of labour, plus locked in border customs and VAT, with rising costs. Never our own fault in UK that we broke with the largest open free trading block in the world - on our own doorstep.

JEFF WILLIAMS