Pat McFadden – 2021 Comments on Increased Mastercard Fees Following Brexit

The comments made by Pat McFadden, the Shadow Economic Secretary to the Treasury, on 25 January 2021.

The Government badly fumbled its preparations for the end of the transition period. Thanks to their last-minute approach we’ve already seen disruption at our ports and British businesses hit by new costs and taxes affecting their orders. These businesses should be at the heart of our recovery, not tied up in red tape.

Now more unexpected costs have been revealed as online shoppers from the UK face being hit with extra charges when buying from the EU. Ministers have got to get a grip on the situation, and urge MasterCard to scrap these unfair changes – to stop British shoppers from losing out.

This is the latest addition to a growing pile of costs and red tape for UK consumers. We’ve already seen delays at ports and a forest of extra form filling for exporters. This is a long way from what the Government promised.