Barry Gardiner MP, Shadow Secretary of State for International Trade, and Peter Dowd MP, Labour’s Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury, comment on the government’s Trade and Customs White Papers published today.

Barry Gardiner MP said:

“We needed clarity on how the Government will ensure a level playing field for British businesses in our trade defence and trade remedy mechanisms. We got none.

“We needed clarity on how the Government will continue the third country Trade Agreements we are part of through the EU. We got none.

“We needed clarity on how the Government is laying down our schedules at the WTO and the proportion of tariff rate quotas we will keep after we leave the EU. We got none.

“Above all we needed clarity about how trade negotiations and treaties would be scrutinised in parliament. We got worse than nothing: an emphasis on speedy implementation with barely a nod to ‘due process in parliament’. This is simply unacceptable.”

Peter Dowd MP said:

“The Government’s Customs White Paper continues the ambiguity that they have made British businesses suffer under.

“While there is talk of delegating the necessary powers to the Government for post-Brexit customs arrangements, the Government goes worryingly further, seeking to undermine parliament by giving itself the power to set import duties without the normal legislative process.

“This White Paper is a missed opportunity to give importing and exporting businesses the confidence they need to continue trading and investing in the UK, nor does it address the massive under-resourcing currently being suffered at HMRC.”

Ends