Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the preparedness of the UK border for the end of the EU Withdrawal Agreement Implementation Period on 31 December 2020; and if he will make a statement.

Cabinet Office ministers - and in particular the Minister for the Cabinet Office, me as Paymaster General, and Lord True, frequently discuss matters relating to border preparedness with Cabinet and ministerial colleagues, including at the relevant Cabinet Committees which are Exit Operations (XO) and Exit Strategy (XS). In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.

The Government is committed to ensuring that the UK is ready for the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020, and for seizing the opportunities of leaving the Single Market and EU Customs Union at that point. Work on border preparedness takes places across Government, including ministers and officials from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Department for International Trade, and UK Border Force.