Aren't we making deals with countries like Japan and Australia? I thought I heard something about cheaper wine and sushi on the horizon. Might not help much with your business unless you're selling those, I suppose.

The upsides are there, mate... if by upsides you mean my shipping costs have gone up and I spend my evenings trying to decipher customs codes instead of watching the telly. Was supposed to be easier and cheaper to do business, wasn't it?

It's early days yet, these things take time. Sure the waters are choppy now, but you can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs, right? We'll find our footing. Have some faith!

Let’s not even start on the impact of non-tariff barriers on trade. Or the fact that the promised frictionless trade was a myth. The Northern Ireland protocol is still a contentious issue, we've lost a bunch of financial services business to the EU, farmer woes ... sure, we've got some new trade deals, but nothing groundbreaking to compensate for the loss of our biggest and most integrated trading partner. Also, can't forget we're also missing out on the Horizon Europe research funding now, a real kick in the teeth for UK science and development.

I miss the days of hassle-free trading. This isn't what we were promised. The upsides seem pretty invisible to the ordinary folk. Just wanted to chime in and say you're not alone.

You all moan but at least we have our sovereignty, right? RIGHT??

The free trade agreements we've struck outside the EU are supposed to start showing their benefits in the long run... though, granted, it's a pretty long run we're talking about. And lots of them are 'rollover' deals that are just copies of what we had through the EU. Honestly, don't hold your breath for huge changes anytime soon. Meanwhile, stick to the paperwork I guess.

What upsides? Lol. Every small business owner I know is pulling their hair out with the new customs arrangements. We swapped the 'red tape' for a whole red carpet of the stuff.