Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the UK is not forced to stay in a customs union by the EU.

The agreed Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, in the Withdrawal Agreement, guarantees that even in the event that the UK’s future relationship with the EU is not in place by the end of the Implementation Period, there will be no hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. The Withdrawal Agreement provides for a single customs territory between the UK and the EU. This ensures that Northern Ireland remains in the same customs territory as Great Britain, while meeting our commitments to the people of Northern Ireland to ensure no hard border on the island of Ireland. Both sides have been clear that the backstop is an insurance policy which we do not expect to use, and if needed, is explicitly temporary.

The Political Declaration is clear that there will be an economic partnership between the UK and the EU with no tariffs or quotas, with ambitious customs arrangements that build and improve on the Withdrawal Agreement. In building and improving on the arrangements in the Withdrawal Agreement, the Political Declaration is clear that the UK and EU will act in line with the objectives and principles of the agreement, including the development of an independent UK trade policy beyond the economic partnership with the EU.

Preparatory organisational work for the formal negotiations on the future relationship will begin as soon as the Withdrawal Agreement is concluded, and before the UK leaves the EU, focusing on key issues such as the development of alternative arrangements for ensuring the absence of a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland on a permanent footing.