Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether the Government plans to negotiate the facilitated customs arrangement referred to in its July 2018 White Paper entitled The future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union.

We have agreed with the EU that we will negotiate an ambitious customs arrangement, with no tariffs, fees, charges, or quotas on trade, that will make use of all available facilitative arrangements and technologies. We have also agreed that there is a relationship between the UK’s commitments and checks and controls required between the UK and EU, which may lead to a spectrum of outcomes, but that both the UK and EU wish to be as ambitious as possible in establishing a future partnership. Both the UK and EU are clear that whatever is agreed in the future partnership must recognise the development of an independent UK trade policy beyond our economic partnership with the EU.