Brexit added £5.8bn to UK food bills in two years, research finds

Brexit added virtually £6bn to UK meals payments within the two years to the top of 2021, London College of Economics (LSE) researchers have found.

A mean of £210 was added to family meals payments over the 2 years, the analysis discovered. 

As low-income households spend a higher share of their revenue on meals, the affect of Brexit on their purchases was disproportionately higher, they stated.

CEP discovered the Brexit-induced worth rise led to an general value of dwelling enhance for the poorest households of 1.1% – 52% greater than the 0.7% rise felt within the prime 10% of households in Britain.

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A earlier report by CEP researchers discovered that leaving the EU elevated the worth of meals merchandise by six per cent.

“We discover that leaving the European Union elevated the worth of meals merchandise by 3% a 12 months, resulting in a 6% enhance over a two-year interval,” they are saying of their report, named Non-tariff obstacles and client costs: proof from Brexit.

Richard Davies, a professor at Bristol College and research co-author, stated: “The UK inflation price rose above 11 per cent in 2022, the best price in 40 years. Many components, affecting each provide and demand for items and companies, are concerned. One issue on this excessive inflation has been the rise in non-tariff obstacles for commerce with the EU.

“In leaving the EU, the UK swapped a deep commerce relationship with few impediments to commerce for one the place a variety of checks, types and steps are required earlier than items can cross the border. Corporations confronted larger prices and handed most of those onto shoppers. Over the 2 years to the top of 2021, Brexit elevated meals costs by round six per cent general.”

Nikhil Datta, assistant professor of economics at Warwick College and research co-author, stated: “The coverage implications are stark: non-tariff obstacles are an essential obstacle to commerce that ought to be a first-order concern, no less than on par with tariffs, for policymakers fascinated with low client costs.

“We calculate that Brexit brought about a lack of £210 for the common family, or £5.84 billion general, when its affect on the meals market alone. Since poorer households spend a bigger fraction of their revenue on meals, they’re hit more durable.”