The Government still has no viable plan to deliver frictionless trade with our largest market and closest allies – Keir Starmer

Keir Starmer MP, Labour’s Shadow
Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, commenting on the Government’s
latest customs proposals for our future relationship with the EU, said:

“The Government’s proposals are
ambiguous, unachievable and offer no viable solutions.

“The first proposal for a
streamlined customs arrangements is code for a hard-edged exit from the Customs
Union, which will inevitably involve a border between the UK and any trading
partner, including the EU27. This will mean delays and costs for UK businesses,
especially manufacturing. The Government appear to be relying on unspecified
technological solutions to reduce these burdens, but they can’t suggest how and
when these new systems could be in place or how much they might cost.

“The second proposal is in David
Davis’s own words “untested”. That’s because it is, in truth, a half-in
half-out proposal without any clarity about how the Government plan to
negotiate or deliver it. This will almost certainly entail considerable new
bureaucratic burdens for British businesses, including complicated “tracking
and repayment mechanisms”.

“We’ve seen today that the
Government still has no viable plan to deliver frictionless trade with our
largest market and closest allies. They are, as ever, putting jobs and the economy
through their chaotic handling of Brexit.”