This is a significant critique from someone involved in the negotiations up until new PM...
Also - the idea of customs checks away from the border wasn’t even on the long list of facilitations/conclusions considered by the government’s official Alternative arrangements working groups over summer, or at least wasn’t in this document: politico.eu/wp-content/upl…
Reactions to apparent leak of UK “non-paper” from those trading across border mostly unprintable... but “costly, invasive unworkable” is one, others point out lorry from Scotland faces Irish Sea checks on food/animal standards, and then NI customs post and then an ROI post too..
Although UK Gov playing down the idea of a “string of customs” checking facilities. Irish Gov saying Article 50 task force has indicated the UK’s non-papers ”fall well short” of aims of backstop and hasn’t seen credible proposals or alternatives to it.
And Irish Foreign minister/ Deputy PM goes public on this:
Meanwhile in order to get through Parliament, Times has story that EU27 will be so enamoured with a deal that they go along with No 10 request to veto Parliament’s blocking of No Deal, by denying an extension, thus forcing Parliament to vote to agree deal
Though even in that story there are two ministers saying they cant get around the Benn Act and “law is the law”.
Lots of loose lips at the Conference coffee round... and an unhelpfully timed leak of an account of non papers.
Lots of loose lips at the Conference coffee round... and an unhelpfully timed leak of an account of non papers.
