• Contact
  • About
  • Authors
DONATE
NEWSLETTER SIGN UP
  • Login
Yorkshire Bylines
  • Home
  • News
    • All
    • Brexit
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Home Affairs
    • Transport
    • World
    Prime minister PMQ prep

    Brexit isn’t working – something we can all agree on

    The small number of trees shows that even the high uplands of the Dales was a woodland environment. Much has been nibbled down to the ground by heavy populations of sheep. Photo by Andy Brown

    Government policies destroying upland Yorkshire farming with no regard for the land or our health

    schools bill

    Johnson’s education power grab: from ‘liberation’ to dictatorship in one generation

    Emmanuel Macron

    French parliamentary elections 2022: shockwaves across the Channel

    Rail strikes

    Millions affected by biggest rail strike action in 30 years

    cost of living march london

    Trade union movement marches to demand better

    European Union

    After the seismic shocks of Brexit and Covid, what next for the European Union?

    Eurovision 2022 stage - photo by Michael Doherty on Wikimedia Commons licensed by CC BY-SA 4.0

    What does Ukraine’s Eurovision win tell us about the politics of solidarity?

    Refugee Week

    Refugee week: a chance to celebrate refugees

    Trending Tags

    • Johnson
    • Coronavirus
    • Labour
    • Starmer
    • NI Protocol
    • Brexit
    • Culture
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Home Affairs
    • Transport
    • World
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Culture
    • Dance
    • Food
    • Music
    • Poetry
    • Recipes
    • Sport
    Nostell Priory, Wakefield

    Glastonbury? What’s Glastonbury? When the music world came to Wakefield

    Headingley Cricket Stadium

    A view from the Roses match: is everything ‘rosey’ in English cricket?

    Bettys' Fat Rascals

    Scallywags, scoundrels and rascals abound in Yorkshire (we do like our scones)

    'Woke' beliefs

    Woke and proud: Compassion must never be allowed to go out of fashion

    Eurovision 2022 stage - photo by Michael Doherty on Wikimedia Commons licensed by CC BY-SA 4.0

    What does Ukraine’s Eurovision win tell us about the politics of solidarity?

    Red Ladder

    Climbing the Red Ladder – bringing theatre to the community

    Kaiser Chiefs in Doncaster

    Kaiser Chiefs never miss a beat in Doncaster

    Bradford Council leader Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, second from right, is joined by Keighley Creative representatives, from left, Georgina Webster, Jan Smithies and Gemma Hobbs.

    Bradford announced as City of Culture 2025

    Queen cakes fit for a Queen

    Queen Cakes fit for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

    • Food
    • Music
    • Poetry
    • Sport
  • Business
    • All
    • Economy
    • Technology
    • Trade
    Freya Osment from Northern Gas Networks

    International Women in Engineering Day 2022

    Rail strikes

    Millions affected by biggest rail strike action in 30 years

    conservative party

    The Conservative Party: fiscally irresponsible and ideologically incapable of addressing the current crises

    Yorkshire cows

    British farmers are being offered a lump sum payment to leave the industry – but at what cost to agriculture?

    cost-of-living-crisis-in-voluntary-sector

    Cost-of-living crisis looming for the voluntary sector

    Money on the floor - £20 notes

    The huge cost of Brexit is being seriously understated

    Financial problems

    Surge in bad debt and late payments indicate mounting business distress in Yorkshire

    An evening photo tour of Drax power station near Selby, North Yorkshire, with excellent light towards sunset.

    Winter blackouts and rationing for six million homes as government plans for disruption to energy supply

    Jar with money cascading out of it

    Boosterism doesn’t put food on the table

    Trending Tags

      • Economy
      • Technology
      • Trade
    • Region
    No Result
    View All Result
    • Home
    • News
      • All
      • Brexit
      • Education
      • Environment
      • Health
      • Home Affairs
      • Transport
      • World
      Prime minister PMQ prep

      Brexit isn’t working – something we can all agree on

      The small number of trees shows that even the high uplands of the Dales was a woodland environment. Much has been nibbled down to the ground by heavy populations of sheep. Photo by Andy Brown

      Government policies destroying upland Yorkshire farming with no regard for the land or our health

      schools bill

      Johnson’s education power grab: from ‘liberation’ to dictatorship in one generation

      Emmanuel Macron

      French parliamentary elections 2022: shockwaves across the Channel

      Rail strikes

      Millions affected by biggest rail strike action in 30 years

      cost of living march london

      Trade union movement marches to demand better

      European Union

      After the seismic shocks of Brexit and Covid, what next for the European Union?

      Eurovision 2022 stage - photo by Michael Doherty on Wikimedia Commons licensed by CC BY-SA 4.0

      What does Ukraine’s Eurovision win tell us about the politics of solidarity?

      Refugee Week

      Refugee week: a chance to celebrate refugees

      Trending Tags

      • Johnson
      • Coronavirus
      • Labour
      • Starmer
      • NI Protocol
      • Brexit
      • Culture
      • Education
      • Environment
      • Home Affairs
      • Transport
      • World
    • Politics
    • Opinion
    • Lifestyle
      • All
      • Culture
      • Dance
      • Food
      • Music
      • Poetry
      • Recipes
      • Sport
      Nostell Priory, Wakefield

      Glastonbury? What’s Glastonbury? When the music world came to Wakefield

      Headingley Cricket Stadium

      A view from the Roses match: is everything ‘rosey’ in English cricket?

      Bettys' Fat Rascals

      Scallywags, scoundrels and rascals abound in Yorkshire (we do like our scones)

      'Woke' beliefs

      Woke and proud: Compassion must never be allowed to go out of fashion

      Eurovision 2022 stage - photo by Michael Doherty on Wikimedia Commons licensed by CC BY-SA 4.0

      What does Ukraine’s Eurovision win tell us about the politics of solidarity?

      Red Ladder

      Climbing the Red Ladder – bringing theatre to the community

      Kaiser Chiefs in Doncaster

      Kaiser Chiefs never miss a beat in Doncaster

      Bradford Council leader Councillor Susan Hinchcliffe, second from right, is joined by Keighley Creative representatives, from left, Georgina Webster, Jan Smithies and Gemma Hobbs.

      Bradford announced as City of Culture 2025

      Queen cakes fit for a Queen

      Queen Cakes fit for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

      • Food
      • Music
      • Poetry
      • Sport
    • Business
      • All
      • Economy
      • Technology
      • Trade
      Freya Osment from Northern Gas Networks

      International Women in Engineering Day 2022

      Rail strikes

      Millions affected by biggest rail strike action in 30 years

      conservative party

      The Conservative Party: fiscally irresponsible and ideologically incapable of addressing the current crises

      Yorkshire cows

      British farmers are being offered a lump sum payment to leave the industry – but at what cost to agriculture?

      cost-of-living-crisis-in-voluntary-sector

      Cost-of-living crisis looming for the voluntary sector

      Money on the floor - £20 notes

      The huge cost of Brexit is being seriously understated

      Financial problems

      Surge in bad debt and late payments indicate mounting business distress in Yorkshire

      An evening photo tour of Drax power station near Selby, North Yorkshire, with excellent light towards sunset.

      Winter blackouts and rationing for six million homes as government plans for disruption to energy supply

      Jar with money cascading out of it

      Boosterism doesn’t put food on the table

      Trending Tags

        • Economy
        • Technology
        • Trade
      • Region
      No Result
      View All Result
      Yorkshire Bylines
      No Result
      View All Result
      Home News Brexit

      Government tries to ‘sell’ Brexit in sponsored advertising campaign

      The government has sponsored an advertising campaign in a failed attempt to show the ‘opportunities’ of Brexit.

      Anthony RobinsonbyAnthony Robinson
      28-02-2021 21:03
      in Brexit
      Photo by Marcus Herzberg from Pexels

      Photo by Marcus Herzberg from Pexels

      41
      VIEWS
      Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
      ADVERTISEMENT

      The government appears increasingly desperate to convince the public that Brexit is a success, against all the evidence to the contrary. It has taken out sponsored adverts, that look like news stories, extolling the virtues of leaving the EU and drowning in a sea of bureaucracy.

      This one was from The Metro (and the Daily Mail) last week: How British business is going from strength to strength under the new trade rules.

      "How British business is going from strength to strength under the new trade rules"

      It paints a glowing picture of life after Brexit and explains how ‘British’ companies are powering ahead under the trade and cooperation agreement (TCA). The article gives three success stories of firms that have “made the switch” to the new trading rules.

      Let’s have a look at them because they are not quite what the government would like you to think.

      The founder of Acqua & Rock, Dea Baker, is pictured and her company which is described as a supplier of “sustainable clothing” based in Scotland, but with no address on the website. Speaking about her business she said:

      “I wouldn’t have a business if it hadn’t [adapted to new rules], in all, I work with five European countries and I tend to export most to Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Belgium”.

      Acqua & Rock Ltd was incorporated in February 2020. The registered office is what seems like a residential address at Fort Street, Broughty Ferry, Dundee. There are as yet no accounts filed so we have no idea of its size or turnover.

      Last September, the article claims, she began investigating the changes needed to prepare for the end of the Brexit transition period.

      “Our first shipment under the new rules was from Amsterdam, and it arrived within 24 hours. I was impressed. I haven’t experienced any delays. Even when goods come via Dover – I’m up in Scotland – I haven’t had any trouble. We’ve adapted and survived and we’re growing – we’ve just employed some more people.”

      Dea Baker, The Metro 25 February 2021

      Ms Baker was also a director of Acqua Nil Ltd from its incorporation in July 2020, but an application was made to strike that company off the register in October 2020 and it was dissolved last month.

      Among her other business ventures were Omni-Channel Retail Ltd, incorporated in February 2019 with £100 share capital but with no accounts filed yet, although they’re overdue. Acqua Maritime UK Ltd, another venture, incorporated in January 2019 filed accounts for a micro company last month and show £2,600 in share capital and reserves.

      As Dea McGill she was a director of three other companies, two of which were dissolved within months and the other, Tayone Food Ltd, went into administration in 2018 after two years.

      This is not to detract in any way from Mrs Baker who is to clearly trying to create a thriving business, but it’s worrying that she is one of the best examples that the government can find.

      Another firm lauded is RS Acqua Ltd. This is a slightly more substantial business formed in 2014, run by Martin Stemp and his wife Ruth, based in Portsmouth at Marina Keep, Port Solent.

      Their last accounts were filed in May 2020, made up to August 2019 showing it employed 10 people on average including the two directors. It had significant assets of £304,000. They are a distributor of oceanic equipment made by “international manufacturers and service providers” and presumably imported into the UK. Exports, or presumably re-exports, made up just 15 percent of revenue although we don’t quite know what this amounts to since the accounts don’t list turnover.

      RS Acqua Holdings Ltd, another company owned and run by Mr and Mrs Stemp, have micro company accounts made up to August 2019 showing assets of £2.1m. In 2018 and 2019, the holding company employed one person on average.

      Again, I’m sure RS Acqua Ltd is a nice business, but I question if it is a good guide to how easy it is to export. They don’t seem to be exporting a great deal, or assembling products using parts imported from elsewhere in Europe. Neither are they in a just-in-time environment and they don’t deal with food products or products of animal origin. All of which are far more problematic as far as exporting to the EU in 2021 is concerned.

      Finally, we come to Control Techniques, or should I say Nidec Control Techniques Ltd (NCTL), a subsidiary of a Japanese company, Nidec Corporation, manufacturers of AC, DC and servo variable speed drives for printing, packaging, machine tools and elevators. It was founded in 1973 in the UK and has a strong customer base in Europe.

      Nidec is already a global business with manufacturing and sales operations across Asia and North America. The UK operation in Wales reports to an immediate European parent, Nidec Europe BV, based in Holland. From the accounts for the 18 month period ending March 2019, NCTL appears to be just an accounting vehicle since its turnover, at a little over £20m, starts off as 100 percent gross profit before being whittled down by all the ‘administrative expenses’ beloved of international conglomerates to just £91,000 on which they paid £43,000 in tax. 

      The actual manufacturing is done by Nidec Industrial Automation UK Ltd in Newtown, Powys, with 433 employees and a significant turnover of £182m, again over an 18-month period ending March 2019. It made a profit of £8,545,000 and was able to pay a dividend of £85m.

      President Anthony Pickering says, “We export to 77 countries, so we had to be well prepared. We made sure our suppliers were ready and had contingency plans in place – for example, if the port at Dover became blocked. They had to prove that their suppliers also had a plan, reaching all the way back down the supply chain”.

      He claims his business hasn’t “missed a beat” but even he says, “There are some delays, thanks to logistics but I think it will figure itself out”.

      So, we have a Japanese company, described as British, with a parent company in Holland that I suppose can easily handle the new VAT rules in Europe, and the best they can offer as Brexit’s USP is that not much has changed, beyond a few delays in logistics. I assume there are also added costs of customs declarations when transporting into Europe, something he doesn’t actually mention, plus a rise in freight costs.

      This is the best the government can manage, and even then, they have to do that by a paid advert. Welcome to Brexit.

      Correction: This article has been corrected. Nidec Industrial Automation made an after tax profit of £8,545,000 and not £8,545 as previously stated. The company paid £1.658m in UK taxes.

      ADVERTISEMENT
      Previous Post

      Standing up for the North, with Jessie Joe Jacobs

      Next Post

      History and heritage Yorkshire: King’s Manor, York

      Anthony Robinson

      Anthony Robinson

      Anthony is a retired sales engineer, living in North Yorkshire. He has represented several European manufacturers of packaging machinery in the UK. Anthony is interested in politics, although not as an active member of any party, and enjoys reading, gardening and DIY.

      Related Posts

      Prime minister PMQ prep
      Brexit

      Brexit isn’t working – something we can all agree on

      byAnthony Robinson
      28 June 2022
      Money on the floor - £20 notes
      Brexit

      The huge cost of Brexit is being seriously understated

      byAnthony Robinson
      13 June 2022
      Imperial Measurements
      Brexit

      Inching ever backwards: the proposed return to imperial measurements

      byPaul Bright
      10 June 2022
      Sheep
      Brexit

      I’m a sheep and cattle farmer in Yorkshire – Brexit has left farmers in fear for their futures

      byPeter Gittins
      9 June 2022
      Jacob Rees-Mogg, cartoon by Stan
      Brexit

      Brexit benefits: From Honduras to Hull, via Hong Kong

      byAnn Moody
      9 June 2022
      Next Post
      King’s Manor, York. Photo credit: Tim Green

      History and heritage Yorkshire: King’s Manor, York

      Want to support us?

      Can you help Yorkshire Bylines to grow and become more sustainable with a regular donation, no matter how small?  

      DONATE

      Sign up to our newsletter

      If you would like to receive the Yorkshire Bylines regular newsletter, straight talking direct to your inbox, click the button below.

      NEWSLETTER

      LATEST

      boris johnson clown poster

      Johnson, Nixon and dangerous duplicity: half a century of ‘gate’ scandals

      28 June 2022
      Prime minister PMQ prep

      Brexit isn’t working – something we can all agree on

      28 June 2022
      The small number of trees shows that even the high uplands of the Dales was a woodland environment. Much has been nibbled down to the ground by heavy populations of sheep. Photo by Andy Brown

      Government policies destroying upland Yorkshire farming with no regard for the land or our health

      27 June 2022
      schools bill

      Johnson’s education power grab: from ‘liberation’ to dictatorship in one generation

      27 June 2022

      MOST READ

      schools bill

      Johnson’s education power grab: from ‘liberation’ to dictatorship in one generation

      27 June 2022
      Prime minister PMQ prep

      Brexit isn’t working – something we can all agree on

      28 June 2022
      10/05/2022 Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the House of Commons. Picture by Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street

      The country needs more than just ‘Booting Boris out of Downing Street’

      26 June 2022
      Conservative Party Meeting

      Hypocrisy, desperation and excuses: Conservative Party clutch at straws over by-election losses

      27 June 2022

      BROWSE BY TAGS

      antivaxxers Charity climate change Coronavirus Cost of living Creative industries Crime Cummings Democracy Devolution education Equality Farming Fishing hgv History Immigration Johnson Journalism Labour Local Democracy Mental Health mining money NHS NI Protocol omicron Pies pollution poverty PPE Public Health Review shortage social media Starmer tax travel Ukraine Yorkshire
      Yorkshire Bylines

      Yorkshire Bylines is a regional online newspaper that supports citizen journalism. Our aim is to publish well-written, fact-based articles and opinion pieces on subjects that are of interest to people in Yorkshire and beyond.

      Learn more about us

      No Result
      View All Result
      • Contact
      • About
      • Letters
      • Donate
      • Privacy
      • Bylines network
      • Shop

      © 2022 Yorkshire Bylines. Citizen Journalism | Local & Internationalist

      No Result
      View All Result
      • Home
      • News
        • Brexit
        • Education
        • Environment
        • Health
        • Home Affairs
        • Transport
        • World
      • Politics
      • Opinion
      • Lifestyle
        • Culture
        • Dance
        • Food
        • Music
        • Poetry
        • Recipes
        • Sport
      • Business
        • Economy
        • Technology
        • Trade
      • Donate
      • The Compendium of Cabinet Codebreakers
      • The Davis Downside Dossier
      • The Digby Jones Index
      • Newsletter sign up
      • Cartoons by Stan
      • Authors

      © 2022 Yorkshire Bylines. Citizen Journalism | Local & Internationalist

      Welcome Back!

      Login to your account below

      Forgotten Password?

      Retrieve your password

      Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

      Log In