00:00Shoppers here in the North West could soon see cheaper prices at the tills thanks to a new food deal between the UK and the EU.
00:10The deal that we have struck with the EU which will help reduce red tape and costs at the border and possible delays which in turn will mean that at the till when we go and do our shopping that there will be downward pressure on food prices.
00:28I'm here in Lidl's distribution hub in Runcorn where Treasury Minister Emma Reynolds has been visiting.
00:35We inherited a botched Brexit deal which had big administrative costs, still has for business so we've got to implement this deal now to bring down costs for business and make sure that they're passed on to consumers in the form of lower prices.
00:50The agreement scraps most border checks on meat, fish, fruit and vegetables saving food businesses time as well as money up to £200 per shipment and helping supermarkets keep the weekly shop down.
01:05We know that people are still facing cost of living pressures. We're determined as a government to ensure that we cut red tape for business, we cut costs for business so that consumers can see lower prices at the supermarkets and frankly for other smaller retailers as well.
01:24The government says the deal will boost choice for customers, support food businesses across the region and beyond and could add more than £5 billion a year to the UK's economy.
01:37We inherited a botched Brexit deal with big administrative costs and delays at the border and as a government we've increased the national minimum wage which is benefiting over 300,000 people in the North West who have seen already since 1 April this year an increase of £1,400 in their salaries.
01:58We've also seen interest rates come down five times since the last election which will help anybody who's got a mortgage or maybe paying rent to a landlord.
02:07So we're helping people with the cost of living but we know that there's more to do.
02:11Businesses which trade within the EU including supermarkets like Lidl support the new SPS agreement.
02:18They say they're set to benefit from changes including reducing physical checks on the likes of your tomatoes, grapes, peppers and other fruits making it quicker and cheaper to trade while maintaining safety standards.
02:31There are very high standards both here in the UK and the EU. The EU is not only our largest market but obviously we were part of the EU for so long that we had lots of the same rules in common and so we have high standards for our food both here and in the EU.
02:49This follows the announcement in June that border checks on EU fruits and veg imports have been scrapped to ease trade ahead of the SPS deal.
02:58Yes deal.
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