Retailers have accused Labour of ‘not wanting to upset China’ after Rachel Reeves said it could take four years to close a customs loophole on cheap imports.
Bosses are furious after the Chancellor said the clampdown will take place as late as March 2029 so the Government can ‘consult on the technical detail’ first.
The concession allows firms like Shein and Temu, most of whose products are made in China, to post parcels under £135 directly to UK shoppers without paying duty.
Andrew Goodacre of the British Independent Retailers Association accused Labour of ‘not wanting to upset China in any shape or form – and if that means High Street retailers suffering, so be it’.
He said: ‘Why wait until 2029? The USA closed their loophole in six months. Europe are set to do the same next year.
‘Four years is an extraordinary amount of time. In the meantime we are expected to live with this unfair competition.’
‘Shein loophole’: Bosses are furious after the Chancellor said a clampdown on duty free imports from China will take place as late as March 2029
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