Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps he has taken to ensure that ceramics companies in North Staffordshire are able to avoid (a) delays in transferring raw materials to factories and (b) incurring additional costs when exporting goods in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

The Government’s priority is to keep goods moving and avoid delays at the border. As the UK’s customs authority, HMRC will act to ensure that border processes are as smooth as possible, without compromising security.

In the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal, businesses which trade with the EU will broadly be subject to customs controls in the same way as businesses who are presently trading with the rest of the world, although there are a number of temporary easements in place to help businesses make this transition.

To support traders with customs declarations, where the majority of UK businesses that currently export outside of the EU use an intermediary, the Government has made available £24m in grants to support training and IT costs for intermediaries and an additional £10m to support intermediaries with the costs of hiring new staff.