Brexit Negotiations

David Hanson Excerpts

Thursday 3rd October 2019 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The preparations that we have made for that outcome, a no-deal exit—I thank my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster for everything that he is doing—have unquestionably, notwithstanding the surrender Act, concentrated the minds of our friends in the EU and are helping us to get a deal.

[David Hanson (Delyn) (Lab)]

Could the Prime Minister genuinely help me? Paragraph 9 of his explanatory note says that

“traders moving goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland would need… A new notification requirement”

regarding

“the nature of the goods in the consignment… people sending (exporting) and receiving (importing) the goods… where the goods will depart and arrive”

and that these arrangements will not be effective until the transition period is completed.

As the hon. Member for North Down (Lady Hermon) said, that is effectively a second border. Can the Prime Minister tell the House how many of those transactions he anticipates each year, and what the cost would be to businesses and to the Government in establishing that system?

[The Prime Minister]

I can assure the right hon. Gentleman that in so far as such checks were necessary, they would be done electronically. They would be done by UK officials, and they would be instituted only with the consent of Northern Ireland. That is the important point, but I am more than happy, if he would like, to discuss this more with him in person if that would be useful.