Brexit deal 'very unstable', legal expert warns MPs

Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaving 10 Downing Street, central London, for the House of Commons where MPs are to vote on the restrictions imposed in England's third national lockdown. - Credit: PA

Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal is “very unstable” and could see the UK miss out on millions of pounds worth of investment, a legal expert has warned.

EU legal scholar Catherine Barnard told MPs companies may be put off investing in the UK because of unresolved questions on tariffs and trade.

This comes as customs professionals say that post-Brexit checks in the Irish Sea are “cumbersome” and hugely complex.

Warning of a “huge shortage” of customs agents, Robert Hardy, director of one of four companies tasked with handling new customs forms for goods moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, said pressure will continue to grow at the border as exports begin to ramp up.

Jonathan Owens, the owner of a small Northern Ireland grocer, said he already had to shut up shop because of an “extra layer of red tape” forcing him to pay double the price for items imported from Great Britain.

This follows the insistence of Northern Ireland secretary Brandon Lewis that “there is no Irish Sea border”.

Meanwhile, “teeth problems” with Brexit and the continuing pandemic have caused issues for Britons trying to enter EU countries.

Travellers on an Iberia airline flight to Spain were not allowed board in their plane at Heathrow Airport after being told they did not have the correct proof of residency.

UK nationals have also been barred from entering Sweden after Ryanair staff reportedly refused to accept a negative coronavirus test from the NHS.