Welcome to the Republic of Kent

The Government’s plan to prevent postBrexit carnage means Kent would become an internal border, with trade permits. We look at the implications and Ed McConnell imagines life in the new republic.

The Government has announced plans to create an ‘internal border’ in Kent to help prevent 7,000 lorries clogging our roads and delays to cross the Channel, post-Brexit.

UK truckers accessing the county will have to obtain a special pass after Brexit - but that would create a de-facto border inside the Garden of England.

Customs changes could see the huge queues - ironically the length of Dover to Westminster - build up here and last week cabinet minister Michael Gove confirmed this was a “worst case scenario” in an address to Parliament.

In a bid to stop everyone grinding to a halt drivers will need to register for ‘Kent Access Permits’, which will be needed to get in to Kent.

Police will check truckers have them and will use number plate recognition to enforce the plan, after the UK leaves the single market and customers union at the end of the year.

Immediately the terms Kexit and Kermit began trending on social media.

Michael Gove is the minister responsible for preparing the UK for leaving the EU’s economic structures. He said the ‘worst scenario’ involved only

50% to 70% of large businesses being ready for the new EU rules and those without the necessary paperwork and formalities completed being turned back by French border authorities, clogging the Dover-Calais route.

He added the queues of “up to 7,000 HGVs in Kent” were likely to subside after businesses saw their cargo denied entry to the continent.

“But it is clearly far better everyone is aware now of what is needed to prepare rather than to face additional disruption next year,” the minister said.

It comes after a Government survey suggested only a quarter of businesses are “fully ready” for the post-Brexit arrangements, according to Mr Gove.

Opposition frontbenchers argued more could have been done by now to prepare, with Rachel Reeves branding it a ‘Conservative carnival of incompetence.’

The shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster added: “It is incredible that ministers are only now admitting to their plans to arrest British truckers for entering Kent without new travel passports.”

Kent Police pledged to keep the county moving in the event of traffic disruption and play its role when called upon.

Assistant chief constable Claire Nix said: “We participated in the consultation related to the Kent Access Permit and are continuing to engage with the Government and other partners within the Kent Resilience Forum on how it will be enforced.”

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “We do still believe it is possible to get a deal but we need to make progress because time is obviously running out.”

Boris Johnson has said he wants a deal done by the time of the European Council summit of the bloc’s leaders on October 15.

The chairman of the Kent Police Federation also spoke out on what he saw as ‘political guarantees about what the police will enforce

Neil Mennie said: “The usual policing business, of which there is a considerable amount, can’t be stored in a convenient cupboard while both Covid and Brexit loom large.

“Now we hear about checking the validity of lorry paperwork.

“The process of prioritising demand and utilising precious and hard working officers is quite simply a matter for the police not politicians.”