Goodbye British products? Brexit deal will ‘force Gibraltar to slap EU tariffs on Bisto, Bovril and other imports from the UK’

THE likelihood that Gibraltar will need to align with EU regulations as part of a post-Brexit deal is sparking concerns that it could spell the end of classic British brands in the shops.

Main Street is home to familiar UK names such as M&S, Next and Mothercare, while the shelves are stocked with PG Tips, Chocolate Digestives and Bovril – classic food items difficult to find in Spain.

But the Gibraltar Federation of Small Businesses has pointed out that the EU currently slaps prohibitive tariffs on British dairy and meat products. 

“Aligning with EU regulations—including tariffs on UK imports—could jeopardise this pillar of our economy, making British goods prohibitively expensive and undermining one of Gibraltar’s unique selling points,” argues David Revagliatte of the GFSB.

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Revagliatte writes that tariffs on British clothing is up to 12%, furniture 5.6%, and for dairy and meat it’s an eye watering 35% and 45% respectively. 

“If these tariffs were applied to British goods sold in Gibraltar, they could pose a major existential challenge to those local businesses that rely on the sale of them as tariffs would likely go on top of any potential sales or transactional taxes. 

“Some businesses rely on being able to bring in UK goods affordably, maintaining the unique ‘British’ experience that sets us apart.”

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Revagliatte warns that such a shift could deal significant damage to Gibraltar’s already-struggling highstreet and even ‘transform the fabric of our economy.’

One possible escape route from trading in British goods for EU ones comes in the prospect of the UK joining a pan-European customs area, as Starmer has indicated he is open to.

EU trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic has said Brussels is open to the UK joining as part of ‘reset discussions between the UK and the bloc’, according to the Guardian.

Known as the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean convention (PEM), it is designed to simplify trade between 25 countries, mostly in Europe and north Africa. The UK is one of the few European countries not signed up.

However, the British government has said joining PEM is not on the agenda in the near future, leaving the future of British products on Gibraltarian shelves up in the air.