Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether his Department has modeled the economic effect of the UK remaining in an EU-UK Customs Union compared to alternative models of customs partnership.

The Government has been clear that the UK will leave the EU Customs Union when it leaves the EU.

As set out in our future partnership paper, in assessing the options for the UK's future customs relationship with the EU, the Government will be guided by three strategic objectives: ensuring UK-EU trade is as frictionless as possible; avoiding a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland; establishing an independent international trade policy. The future partnership paper set out two possible options to meet these objectives.

We are undertaking a comprehensive programme of analytical work examining all areas of the UK economy. Our analytical work contributes to our exit negotiations with the EU, defines our deep and special partnership with the EU, and informs our understanding of how EU exit will affect the UK’s domestic policies and frameworks.

It is not standard practice to provide a running commentary on continuing, internal analysis. Ministers have a specific responsibility, which Parliament has endorsed, not to release information that could reveal our negotiating position.