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| Ruling out a customs union is 'profound mistake', says Benn | Ruling out a customs union is 'profound mistake', says Benn |
| (1 day later) | |
| Chair of Brexit committee says time is running out for ministers to decide on their final goals | |
| Peter Walker and | |
| Rajeev Syal | |
| Mon 5 Feb 2018 09.20 GMT | |
| Last modified on Mon 5 Feb 2018 09.37 GMT | |
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| Ruling out any continued customs union with the EU is “a profound mistake”, the Labour chair of the Brexit committee, Hilary Benn, has said, warning that it could both harm the economy and risk conflict in Northern Ireland. | Ruling out any continued customs union with the EU is “a profound mistake”, the Labour chair of the Brexit committee, Hilary Benn, has said, warning that it could both harm the economy and risk conflict in Northern Ireland. |
| Speaking after Downing Street said the UK would not be involved in either the current customs union or a new union to replace it, at the start of a crucial week of Brexit discussions, Benn said time was running out for ministers to decide on their final goals. | Speaking after Downing Street said the UK would not be involved in either the current customs union or a new union to replace it, at the start of a crucial week of Brexit discussions, Benn said time was running out for ministers to decide on their final goals. |
| “I wish [Downing Street’s statement] was clarity but I don’t think it is,” Benn told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “I think the government is in a state of open disagreement. The prime minister has been immobilised. We’re 19 months since the referendum … and we still don’t know what it is we want.” | “I wish [Downing Street’s statement] was clarity but I don’t think it is,” Benn told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “I think the government is in a state of open disagreement. The prime minister has been immobilised. We’re 19 months since the referendum … and we still don’t know what it is we want.” |
| The EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, was due to meet Theresa May and the Brexit secretary, David Davis, in Downing Street on Monday. Key cabinet colleagues will meet on Wednesday and Thursday to decide the details of the government’s policy regarding a customs union. | The EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, was due to meet Theresa May and the Brexit secretary, David Davis, in Downing Street on Monday. Key cabinet colleagues will meet on Wednesday and Thursday to decide the details of the government’s policy regarding a customs union. |
| A Downing Street source said on Sunday: “It is not our policy to be in the customs union. It is not our policy to be in a customs union.” The statement went further than May, who, on Friday, refused to rule out involvement in a customs union when questioned during her visit to China. | A Downing Street source said on Sunday: “It is not our policy to be in the customs union. It is not our policy to be in a customs union.” The statement went further than May, who, on Friday, refused to rule out involvement in a customs union when questioned during her visit to China. |
| This is the EU current system of which the UK is a part – it groups all the EU members, as well as Monaco. The EU defines it as “a single trading area where all goods circulate freely, whether made in the EU or imported from outside”. | This is the EU current system of which the UK is a part – it groups all the EU members, as well as Monaco. The EU defines it as “a single trading area where all goods circulate freely, whether made in the EU or imported from outside”. |
| This means that if goods enter the EU from another country, duty or checks only happen when they first come into the bloc. | This means that if goods enter the EU from another country, duty or checks only happen when they first come into the bloc. |
| Some Labour and Tory MPs, and the Liberal Democrats, want the UK to stay in this after Brexit. | Some Labour and Tory MPs, and the Liberal Democrats, want the UK to stay in this after Brexit. |
| As raised by Labour, but now ruled out by Downing Street, this would see the UK sign its own customs deal with the EU after leaving, allowing for some differences. The EU already has three separate bilateral customs union arrangements in place, with Turkey, Andorra and San Marino. | As raised by Labour, but now ruled out by Downing Street, this would see the UK sign its own customs deal with the EU after leaving, allowing for some differences. The EU already has three separate bilateral customs union arrangements in place, with Turkey, Andorra and San Marino. |
| This idea, mentioned by Downing Street when it ruled out membership of any future customs union, remains vague, but is taken to mean a looser deal which would allow the UK to make its own separate trade deals with non-EU nations, something seen as crucial to many Brexiters. | This idea, mentioned by Downing Street when it ruled out membership of any future customs union, remains vague, but is taken to mean a looser deal which would allow the UK to make its own separate trade deals with non-EU nations, something seen as crucial to many Brexiters. |
| But it could end up being a change largely of terminology. Craig Oliver, the former No 10 communications head, tweeted that he wondered if it was a political trick, to “name something differently and say it’s not the same.” | But it could end up being a change largely of terminology. Craig Oliver, the former No 10 communications head, tweeted that he wondered if it was a political trick, to “name something differently and say it’s not the same.” |
| The source said a customs union was entirely different from a customs arrangement, which would allow the government to strike trade deals with countries outside the EU. The source also claimed that there had been no change in policy, saying the statement was a reiteration of policy outlined in a paper published in August. | The source said a customs union was entirely different from a customs arrangement, which would allow the government to strike trade deals with countries outside the EU. The source also claimed that there had been no change in policy, saying the statement was a reiteration of policy outlined in a paper published in August. |
| Benn, who chairs the Exiting the EU committee in the House of Commons, said it was “a very serious moment for our country”. | Benn, who chairs the Exiting the EU committee in the House of Commons, said it was “a very serious moment for our country”. |
| He said: “I think it’s a profound mistake to leave a customs union with the European Union.” Doing so would necessarily involve a return to some sort of checks on the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, which could jeopardise the peace process, he warned. | He said: “I think it’s a profound mistake to leave a customs union with the European Union.” Doing so would necessarily involve a return to some sort of checks on the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, which could jeopardise the peace process, he warned. |
| More widely, Benn said there was “disfunction at the heart of government”, which meant big decisions were not being taken, causing massive uncertainty for businesses. | More widely, Benn said there was “disfunction at the heart of government”, which meant big decisions were not being taken, causing massive uncertainty for businesses. |
| Part of the problem, he argued, was the rigid timetable imposed by May and her team. He said: “If you set red lines and fixed dates and you impose rigidity on a process that is incredibly complex, you end up in trouble. | Part of the problem, he argued, was the rigid timetable imposed by May and her team. He said: “If you set red lines and fixed dates and you impose rigidity on a process that is incredibly complex, you end up in trouble. |
| “And what the government is now coming face to face with is the consequences of red lines it set, including saying leaving the customs union is what they want to do.” | “And what the government is now coming face to face with is the consequences of red lines it set, including saying leaving the customs union is what they want to do.” |
| The attempt at Downing Street to give some clarity over the customs union followed a weekend of press coverage about supposed Brexit splits in government, including speculation that Boris Johnson and Michael Gove could try to take power. | The attempt at Downing Street to give some clarity over the customs union followed a weekend of press coverage about supposed Brexit splits in government, including speculation that Boris Johnson and Michael Gove could try to take power. |
| Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Priti Patel, the former international development secretary who supports a hard Brexit, said talk of a challenge to May should end immediately. | Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Priti Patel, the former international development secretary who supports a hard Brexit, said talk of a challenge to May should end immediately. |
| “She is our prime minister and that’s not going to change, full stop,” she said. | “She is our prime minister and that’s not going to change, full stop,” she said. |
| Patel welcomed the comments on the customs union: “That is the discussion that is taking place this week at cabinet. The reality is, having alignment with the European Union on a customs arrangement is so far away from what the British public voted for, that that is what has to be delivered.” | Patel welcomed the comments on the customs union: “That is the discussion that is taking place this week at cabinet. The reality is, having alignment with the European Union on a customs arrangement is so far away from what the British public voted for, that that is what has to be delivered.” |
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| Hilary Benn | |
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