We won’t check lorries at Dover says Grayling
TRANSPORT Secretary Chris Grayling has dismissed claims that there will be gridlock at Dover because of Brexit.
Speaking on the BBC’s Question Time, Mr Grayling insisted that there will be no new checks when the UK leaves the EU – meaning that lorries will not be forced to queue for hours at the border.
He told the audience that electronic solutions similar to the ones expected for the Irish border will be in place to monitor transport.
He said: “We will maintain a free-flowing border at Dover. We will not impose checks in the port.
“It is utterly unrealistic to do so. We don’t check lorries now. We are not going to be checking lorries in Dover in the future. I’m absolutely clear it cannot happen.”
There would be no “hard border” in Dover, he said, adding: “Goods flow through borders almost seamlessly around the world anyway. Go to some of our ports on the east coast that take goods from outside the European Union where the goods flow through smoothly and depart pretty much as soon as they arrive.” The Government has set out two plans to deal with the issue – a “highly streamlined customs arrangement” between the UK and EU to minimise red tape or a “new customs partnership” to avoid the need for a customs border. Mr Grayling’s intervention came after Labour and Remain campaigners claimed that Brexit will mean new checks at the border causing “gridlock”. The Department for Exiting the European Union said: “We want to have a customs arrangement that ensures trade with the EU is as frictionless as possible. “In relation to Northern Ireland and Ireland, both the UK and the EU have also been clear there will not be any physical border.”