Canada-style Brexit answers the Irish issue

There is already a border between North and South with low-key control. That is all a free trade deal needs

It is now very clear that the only realistic chance of getting a good Brexit deal through Parliament is for it to have the support of Conservative and DUP MPS. The only option with a realistic chance of uniting those MPS, giving a chance of Parliamentary approval, is a Canada-style Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

The UK was given this option in March, when Donald Tusk offered an “ambitious and advanced” trade agreement “covering all sectors and with zero tariffs on goods” that “like other FTAS, should also address services”. Just last week, Mr Tusk confirmed that offer is still on the table. While certain strings were attached – such as the EU maintaining its access to our fishing waters – the proposal should nonetheless serve as a good starting point.

The Government is not pursuing this route due to their concerns that it doesn’t address the Irish border. The EU’S interpretation of the backstop involves a de facto annexation of Northern Ireland, in a flagrant breach of the Belfast Agreement and the territorial and constitutional integrity of the UK. Our Government has rightly said this could never be acceptable as a solution, but unfortunately has tended to suggest that also means the problem is insoluble with an FTA.

However, there are ways to achieve a Canada-style FTA and keep the border as barrier-free as it is today. Recognising that many people who (like me) voted Remain might be sceptical, I visited the Irish border earlier this year, where two things stood out. First, that Northern Ireland’s history is a constant reminder that past events must always guide our conduct in dealing with present challenges. Second, in navigating the roads which criss-cross the 310-mile border, it is clear you couldn’t have a physical customs border (complete with officers), even if you tried. A return to the days when there were only 20 official crossing points, instead of today’s 200, is neither desirable nor possible. And, as Unionists, we should reject the nationalist campaigns trying to use the idea of a “hard border”, with British Army watchtowers, as a way to drive Northern Ireland out of the UK.

For those on both sides of the Brexit negotiating table who have said that there can’t be any infrastructure on or near the border, I’m afraid I have news for you – it’s there already.

Within sight of the border with Blacklion, in Ireland’s County Cavan, in the village of Belcoo in County Fermanagh, there is a bank of six highly sophisticated ANPR cameras. This is infrastructure, and it exists without causing any sort of disruption. And there is already a border for security, VAT, tax, excise and currency. Leaving the single market and the customs union for a Canada-style FTA adds one more item: customs.

What’s more, this can be catered for by existing practices. Lars Karlsson, a former director of the World Customs Organisation who was asked to investigate solutions by the European Parliament itself, concluded that existing computerised customs clearing methods used across much of the world mean physical border infrastructure is unnecessary. This conclusion has been repeated by the chief executive of HMRC. Companies currently traversing the border complete VAT returns electronically in a way that could be applied to future customs declarations. Additional physical inspections by officials already happen away from the border.

Some have argued that there will be issues regarding people travelling across the Irish border. There won’t. As immigration minister I saw how closely our two countries co-operate to control entry into the Common Travel Area, to share data and intelligence to keep citizens safe, and to take action to minimise the smuggling that takes place around every border. Our common interests will ensure this mutual co-operation continues after we leave the EU.

It is possible the EU will restart negotiations based on Chequers. I fully expect them to demand compromises likely to be unacceptable to the Prime Minister, Cabinet and Conservative Party. That is what I saw as chief whip when David Cameron was negotiating his deal before the referendum.

The most likely way, therefore, of achieving the good deal we all want to see is a Canada-style FTA.