When Michael Gove announced the first delay to post-Brexit checks on plant and animal products coming into the UK from the EU, he was keen to make one thing clear. “Although we recognise that many in the border industry and many businesses have been investing time and energy to be ready on time, and indeed we in government were confident of being ready on time,” the then minister for the Cabinet Office said, “we have listened to businesses who have made a strong case that they need more time to prepare.” That was in March 2021. Three years and four delays later, Tuesday will finally see those checks brought in. Or will it? This time there are question marks over the government’s readiness. In a leaked presentation seen by the Financial Times, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) outlined a plan to phase in controls, with physical inspections initially “set to zero” for all but the highest-risk products. The government hit back, insisting that checks would be commencing on 30 April, but indicated that they would focus initially on higher-risk products, and scale up checks on other goods in a “sensible and controlled way”. MPs want an...