Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect on the shipping industry of the UK (a) remaining and (b) becoming part of (i) the single market and (ii) a customs union with the European Union.

The Government has been undertaking rigorous and extensive analysis work to support our exit negotiations, as a responsible Government should, in order to inform our understanding of how EU exit will affect the UK’s domestic policies and frameworks. We have been engaging with businesses and industry bodies from all sectors of the economy, including ports and maritime; and with all regions of the UK as part of this process, and we will continue to do so as we move forward.

As the Prime Minister has made clear, on leaving the EU, the UK will also be leaving the Single Market and the Customs Union. The Future Partnership paper ‘Future Customs Arrangements’, published last year, put forward two proposed approaches for the UK’s future customs relationship with the EU. One is a highly streamlined customs arrangement, and the other is a new customs partnership. The precise form of any new agreement will be the subject of negotiation.