Labour figures are getting bolder about discussing Brexit, with cabinet ministers talking up a customs union with the EU. The economic arguments for such a move have been clear for years but at long last the time is right to make the political arguments, writes Herald columnist Rebecca McQuillan

Every so often something happens to remind you of how self-defeating Brexit is. We’ve been sending parcels to my brother in France for years, but since Brexit, he hasn’t just opened the door to a courier and taken the package, exchanging nothing more than a “bonjour, merci”. He’s had to pay for it.

The charges range from 10 to 30 euros. I know of one person who had to pay over 100 euros to receive a package from her family back in Scotland. You can pay those fees in the UK and cross your fingers the French courier won’t demand payment too, but it will more than double the cost of sending the parcel. Some of this is French VAT, since goods imported from non-EU countries are now subject to the tax; some of it is customs duties (covering goods made in a third country like China or Bangladesh); and some is courier charges for doing the import checks and paperwork.

Brexit, of course, was supposed to result in “frictionless” borders. Hatred of European bureaucracy was a favourite rant of anti-EU campaigners. Instead, every time we send or receive an exorbitantly priced post-Brexit parcel, in effect we’re funding a whole new layer of bureaucracy that previously didn’t exist. Travelling in person is little better, thanks to the border checks. All this expense, red tape and inconvenience is infuriating for citizens, but for businesses trading with the EU it’s done serious damage. Increased costs,........

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