Talk about generous, the returning to the UK from the EU traveler will probably need a Sherpa porter or two to bring home their new post Brexit duty free smokes and liquor/beverages entitlement. Those going to the EU from a non-EU country could probably get by with a removalist's trolley!

These are now:

Changes to customs rules for travelers entering the UK (England, Wales and Scotland) from non-EU countries means passengers will now benefit from a generous increase in their inbound personal allowances (see below table).

They will be able to buy duty free alcohol and tobacco, where available, at British ports, airports, international train stations, onboard shops, trains and airlines.


Source: HM Treasury.

This includes 42 litres of beer, 18 litres of wine, 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars and a duty free allowance on other goods of up to £390 (£270 for those travelling by boat or airline).

Those entering the EU from a non-EU country are entitled to a duty free allowance covering four litres of still wine, 16 litres of beer, one litre of spirits and other liquors over 22%, two litres of fortified wine (i.e port and sherry), sparkling wine and alcoholic drinks up to 22%, 200 cigarettes, 100 cigarillos, 50 cigars or 250g of tobacco.

No hope of other countries following suite I suppose?

OML

I used to do the booze cruises back in the 90's. As far as I can remember it was a good example of the single market working. You could import from one country to another, for personal or commercial reasons, without tariffs or quotas.

However, HMG was busy price gouging the British public with their own 'fun tax' duties on booze and fags and this exposure of their greed, in comparison to out EU friends and partners, could not be tolerated.

I can't remember precisely their legal technique, but in essence they made it illegal, unless you declared and paid the duty, to import booze and fags unless they were for personal consumption and the limits they imposed arbitrarily were not quite enough to warrant the journey. A van, so loaded it's exhaust pipe was dragging on the ground, became very hard to justify as personal use.

They also kept a close eye on regular number plates perpetually on the Dover/Calais run and if you had been back and forth too much you got invited to turn left for a little chit chat. Cheap Van hire companies were no solution, those beaten up old Transit vans were spending half their lives on the ferries. A defence for you perhaps as the one-time hirer, but it still got you on their radar.

I finally got served a formal notice from Customs which said, effectively, "were are on your case". The fun ended thereafter.

I understand that a former booze cruiser upped the ante and came up with the great carousel VAT fraud, still the biggest racket suffered by the inept Customs & Excise and mostly swept under the carpets. We are talking billions here.