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.”