These Foods Could Soon Become More Expensive Thanks To Brexit

First came the risk of a Marmite shortage, now the outcome of the EU referendum is threatening to result in price hikes for some of our other favourite foods. The price of chocolate, cheese and wine (the holy trinity!) could soon skyrocket, thanks to a "triple whammy" of tariff checks, customs checks and workforce shortages, according to former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg. The price of beef could also escalate because of Brexit, he said. Clegg, who is now the Lib Dems' spokesman on Europe and is releasing a report into the possible effects of a "hard Brexit", said the Marmite furore "was just the tip of the iceberg", reported the BBC. The report by the Lib Dems said the annual £11bn worth of agricultural products the UK sells to the EU would face a 22.3% tariff, with tariffs on exported beef set at 59%, chocolate at 38%, cheese at 40% and wine at 14%. "It's clear that Marmite was just the tip of the iceberg," said Clegg, before adding: "A hard Brexit will lead us off a cliff edge towards higher food prices." The former Lib Dem leader and ardent Remain supporter also said the only way the government could avoid this outcome is "if it maintains Britain's membership of the single market". A "hard Brexit" would involve Britain leaving the single market and having greater control over immigration; while a "soft Brexit" would involve remaining in the single market in some way and less control over immigration. Only a "soft Brexit", therefore, could avoid tariffs on beef exports, chocolate, cheese and wine, he said. However, some Brexit supporters have accused the Lib Dems of scaremongering. There are, of course, more important consequences of Brexit than the price of our favourite comfort food – immigrants' rights to remain in the country and the plunging pound being just two of them. But in these dark times, it's sad that even the small slithers of joy still to be found in our daily lives are now under threat.