“TAKE back control.” “Get our country back.” Remember, 2016? This was followed by “Get Brexit done” in 2019. And where are we now?

Our supermarket shelves are emptying by the week and it’s predicted to be far worse as we approach Christmas.

We have a massive shortfall of HGV drivers with European drivers going back home and not being able to get back into the UK. And likewise a massive shortage of labour in food production and processing factories.

This along with customs costs is destroying businesses that were trading with EU countries. All 26 EU countries now have to be dealt with one by one with huge rise in complexity and costs.

When we pressed the “Get it done” button we ended free movement of labour, trade, capital, and services, with enormous consequences.

And all so predictable. End movement of people and of course there will be shortages of labour. Rack up border customs and VAT and of course prices will go up.

There will be howls of outrage against this view, saying the issue is Covid not Brexit. But look at the facts and what industry is saying.

Covid plays a part but the clincher, end of free movement, is what locks in the huge loss of labour, plus locked in border customs and VAT, with rising costs.

The arch Brexiteers will tell us it’s all the fault of those dreadful Europeans. Certainly not our own fault when we broke with the largest open free trading block in the world - on our own doorstep.

JEFF WILLIAMS