According to the minister, the government also intends to help companies that want to test on their premises, and will provide them with free test kits. Shapps said drivers heading to France should be tested before arriving in Kent or another British port. The government wants to speed up traffic at the border and has announced that drivers who are tested before Kent will have the right to use fast check-in lanes. Soldiers will help at the test sites.
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Large queues of trucks formed at the crossings, because France closed the border for 48 hours before Christmas and then opened it only for those with a negative test for coronavirus. Shapps said that thanks to soldiers and civilians, the queues formed by France’s decision have been significantly reduced over the past ten days.
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According to EveningExpress, people operating test sites are also able to provide drivers with information on new border measures that have been in force since 1 January, when Britain’s transitional period ended after leaving the European Union last year.
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The agreement between Britain and the EU envisages that trade will not be burdened by tariffs and quotas, but that appropriate documents must now be submitted at the borders. Shapps said fears of congestion at the border had not materialized, but that this could be the result of less traffic on holidays.
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Scotland is not satisfied with the new arrangement, where the majority of its population voted in the 2016 referendum against Britain’s withdrawal from the EU. Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon wants to hold a referendum on Scotland’s independence and said today that she hopes Scotland will return to the EU soon.
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“We are now experiencing Brexit against our will, at the worst possible time, in the midst of a pandemic and economic recession,” she wrote on the website of her Scottish National Party (SNP).
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Sturgeon wants to hold a referendum as soon as possible, although in 2014, about 55 percent of Scots voted against independence. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is fundamentally opposed to another plebiscite on the subject. As the AFP reported today, if the SNP did well in the May local elections, it would increase pressure on London and help get it to agree to a referendum.
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A December poll conducted by The Scotsman showed that 58 percent of Scotland’s population would now be in favor of secession from Britain.
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“Scotland, as an independent member of the European Union, could be a partner and could build bridges – not only a bridge to build a stronger economy and a fairer society, but also a bridge to facilitate EU-Britain relations,” Sturgeon wrote. “In almost 50 years of our membership, we have benefited greatly from the ‘four freedoms’ of the single market, including the free movement of people. More than 230,000 people across Europe have found a home in Scotland. They are our friends, our family and we really want them to stay, “she added.
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