Jersey prepares for UK to crash out of EU

Friday 24 August 2018

Jersey’s government is preparing for a ‘worst case scenario’ Brexit in which the UK comes crashing out of the EU with no deal, External Relations officials have said.

With a deepening rift within the governing Conservative Party over what a ‘good’ Brexit would look like, fears have steadily grown in recent weeks that the UK will make its official exit from the EU in March without striking a deal.

While still deeming that result “unlikely” due to the mutual interests of the UK and EU in negotiating the outcome, the UK government this week published a set of 24 documents outlining what ‘no deal’ might look like. 

In those, the public were warned that the cost of card payments for Brits abroad would likely increase, that traders could face heightened customs checks, expats could face losing UK banking and pension services, students may lose study abroad funding, and that organic food producers will be hit with more red tape if they wish to export their goods to the EU – problems that could also affect islanders.

Pictured: The UK government, led by Prime Minister Theresa May, this week issued guidance to the public about what a 'no deal' Brexit would look like.

While Jersey isn’t officially part of the European Union, it enjoys some benefits as a result of its relationship with the UK. 

But some elements of the island’s EU link – as set out in Protocol 3 of the UK’s Treaty of Accession – could be impacted when the UK officially withdraws in March 2019. 

States officials revealed yesterday that their Brexit planning had been “developed on the basis of a ‘no deal’ or ‘hard Brexit’ scenario since the UK referendum on EU membership took place in June 2016.” 

“It is our duty as a responsible government to prepare for all eventualities, including ‘no deal’, until we can be certain of the outcome of those negotiations,” an explanatory statement read. 

“We are aware of the potential risks to the Island presented by a hard Brexit and have engaged in contingency planning to ensure that all Government Departments are prepared for and able to manage those risks.”

The External Relations Department has since published responses to the UK’s 24 warnings, explaining how Jersey might – or might not – be affected in the event of ‘no deal’. They can be found on their website here.

Among that advice is a warning to local traders that import and export tariffs between Jersey and the EU are to be expected, as well as a pledge that Jersey would continue to maintain the highest of international standards in areas such as organic food supply and medical supplies.

Officials said that they would be liaising with key stakeholders about all the expected changes.