Having officially left the EU on 31 March, the transition period in which the UK still adhered to EU trading rules ended on 31 December, and one social media user has already discovered a small, yet annoying, consequence of leaving the trading bloc.
Leaving the European Union’s trading arrangements offers the chance to “transform our country”, Boris Johnson has claimed as UK businesses acclimatised to new Brexit border requirements.
The first freight checks required under the terms of Brexit’s economic sea border between Great Britain and Northern Ireland have taken place.
The end of the transition period late on New Year’s Eve brought into force the contentious Northern Ireland Protocol, which sees the region operate under different regulatory and customs arrangements to the rest of the UK.
Northern Ireland is remaining in the single market for goods and is applying EU customs rules at its ports.
Tory grandee Lord Heseltine has called for pro-Europeans to “fight back” and battle to rejoin the EU.
The former deputy prime minister cited the stance of the SNP in pushing for another referendum on Scottish independence as the way forward for Remainers, despite the UK formally leaving the Brexit transition arrangements on New Year’s Eve.
Lord Heseltine insisted that as the 52%-48% decision to quit the EU was so close, pro-Europeans must not “lie down”, but follow the example of the SNP.
Spain
On 1 January, Twitter user @missregardless shared some Whatsapp messages with her folks.
Her parents asked why they couldn’t stream Sky on their iPad, from Spain, after we left the EU on 31st Dec. According to her Tweet they voted for Brexit in the referendum.
After looking into this issue, @missregardless discovered Sky’s “streaming abroad” help section, which clarified that following the end of the Brexit transition period, people would be unable to stream content from abroad “in the same way”.
(Twitter / MissRegardless)
This doesn’t just apply to Sky lots of streaming services are having the same issue.
It isn’t the end of the world but be careful what you wish for.
How many more of these stories will emerge during 2021 and beyond?
Related: Brexit: ‘Of course we must fight back’ and ‘we are not going to lie down’ says Heseltine
