Michael Gove annonuces £700m Brexit border force
The government will spend £700m preparing the UK’s borders for Brexit as it begins a widespread information campaign to prepare businesses for next year.
The funding is being spent on 500 new border guards, IT systems and essential infrastructure at Dover and other ports of entry as the UK prepares for the end of the post-Brexit transition period on 31 December.
The UK is set to have its border checks up and running in full by next July, after the coronavirus crisis forced a six-month delay of plans.
This has led to some tensions in cabinet, with international trade secretary Liz Truss writing to Gove and Rishi Sunak this week to express concerns that the delay could lead to illegal smuggling and a legal challenge from the World Trade Organisatoin (WTO).
Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove appeared on the BBC this morning to quash concerns about a cabinet row and trumpet the new spending.
“[We’re spending] more than £700m in order to provide infrastructure at ports, to invest in technology and also to make sure we have the personnel to keep ourselves safe,” he said.
“I’m absolutely certain that everything we do is compliant with the law, indeed, is designed to ensure we can not just comply with law, but keep people safe and also facilitate trade as well.
“The critical thing about our new border infrastructure is that it’s there both to allow us to trade with Europe but also to make it easier to trade with the rest of the world.”
Regardless of whether the UK strikes a trade deal or not with the EU by the 31 December deadline, there will need to be customs declarations from next year.
There has been claims that this will require 50,000 customs agents to deal with the declarations, a claim not disputed by Gove.
This is one of the multitude of changes the government will be trying to inform the public about in its new advertising campaign it will begin next week.
This is to ensure that businesses and tourists are prepared for changes at the border next year when the transition period ends.
Shadow Cabinet Office minister Rachel Reeves described today’s announcements as “too little, too late”.