Treasury Committee seeks update on UK’s customs preparedness for end of Brexit transition

• Letter to Rishi Sunak MP about UK’s customs preparedness for end of Brexit transition

The Committee was left with a significant number of outstanding questions and issues.

Rt Hon. Mel Stride MP, Chair of the Committee, has today written to Rt Hon. Rishi Sunak MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer, to raise these concerns as a matter of urgency, including:

• The Committee is extremely concerned that the IT may not be ready in time to allow companies to prepare sufficiently, with testing and changes still being made now.

• The Committee shares Lord Agnew’s concerns that the Northern Ireland Border Operating Model is yet to be published. Without it, it is impossible for firms trading between Northern Ireland and Great Britain to know how to prepare for the changes that will come on 1 January.

Chair's comment

Commenting on the correspondence, Mr Stride said:

“The Committee came away from its evidence session with Lord Agnew with serious concerns about the UK’s customs preparedness for the end of the Brexit transition period.

As the Brexit transition period ends and new arrangements with the EU begin to come into force in just 71 days, I’ve asked the Chancellor to respond to our concerns as a matter of urgency.”

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