Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he has had with this counterpart in the French Government on (a) travel and transport delays caused by recent industrial action at the French border and (b) how many additional customs officials on Eurostar services will be needed after the UK leaves the EU to avoid delays.

The Home Office has been working with the cross-government Border Delivery Group to engage with authorities, port users and operators domestically and across the EU to understand what the synergies and constraints are in different locations, and to discuss how to ensure locations are operationally ready to meet with Government requirements when the UK leaves the EU.

The Government wants to see cross-Channel traffic and goods continue to move as freely as possible, in any scenario both deal or no deal.

As the application of additional customs checks by the EU is outside of our control, the Government has undertaken a range of preparatory measures to mitigate potential impacts and ensure that goods can continue to flow into and out of the UK as freely as possible.