Javid’s plan to fix the Irish border problem
SAJID JAVID drew up a detailed technological plan to do away with the Irish backstop but it was stopped by the Treasury, to the fury of Brexiteers.
The Home Secretary commissioned Border Force officials to work up a plan harnessing technology used in Switzerland to manage trade and tariffs and so avoid a hard border in Ireland.
The work was submitted to HMRC but allies of Mr Javid claimed officials were “incredibly dismissive of it and not interested”. The source said: “We tried to talk to HMRC about it for eight months. We said there were big hurdles to get past but we didn’t think they were insurmountable.”
Theresa May is trying to secure an agreement with Labour that could leave Britain in a customs union with the EU. Mr Javid, meanwhile, delivers a speech on Monday setting out his vision for addressing the causes of crime.
Seen as a potential successor to the Prime Minister, he has the support of around 25 MPS, his allies say. His prospective campaign chief is Matthew Elliott, the former head of Vote Leave. If Mr Javid were to be elected leader, his plan to stop a hard border could form a key plank of his agenda.
Meanwhile, Philip Hammond, the Chancellor, last night said that Mrs May would stay until after Brexit, even if it takes until October, adding that a contest now would be “self-indulgent”. He said that a customs union arrangement was on the table during talks with Labour, which descended into acrimony yesterday.
The Daily Telegraph has learnt that ministers believe Sir Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, is being deliberately “obstructive” as he wants a second referendum.
Labour sources accused the Tories of not offering “anything substantially different to a deal that has been rejected no less than three times by Parliament”.
It came as Stephen Barclay, the Brexit Secretary, wrote to Cabinet ministers, saying Britain could leave without a deal on May 31 if Mrs May’s deal failed to pass the Commons, meaning the Government could avoid participating in the European Parliament elections.
The Home Secretary’s policy unit set out before HMRC the “art of the possible” for the Irish border earlier this year. Firms would upload cargo data to a digital portal, while AI would build a “risk profile based on goods, route and drivers”. Number plate recognition would track vehicles. For transit goods passing through Switzerland to the rest of Europe, vehicle and driver particulars are verified electronically.
Officials acknowledge the project is likely to be “big and complex” and require significant investment to avoid having physical border infrastructure.
“The challenge cannot be underestimated,” the document said. “No government currently controls different customs arrangements with no physical infrastructure at the border.”
But Government officials told The Telegraph the plans were “unworkable”. Mrs May has since abandoned plans to renegotiate the backstop after extending Article 50.
David Davis, the former Brexit secretary, said: “I am unsurprised at the HMRC. That’s been the Treasury response all the way – one of obstruction rather than facilitation.”
THERESA MAY is prepared to stay on as Prime Minister until the end of October to secure her Brexit deal, Philip Hammond has suggested.
The Chancellor said Mrs May has “no intention of leaving until the deal is done”, even as he acknowledged that her rivals are already “jockeying to succeed her”.
Some Cabinet ministers and senior Tory MPS have urged her to stand down by the end of May after she was forced to accept a Brexit delay until Oct 31. Speaking in Washington, Mr Hammond told Bloomberg: “She’s a person with a strong sense of duty, she’s a person who feels she has an obligation to the British people to deliver Brexit and she will certainly want to make good on that obligation.”
He added that a Tory leadership election before a deal was secured would be a mistake. On talks with Labour, he said that the Government had no “red lines”, including over the prospect of staying in a customs union and a second referendum, but added that just because matters were up for discussion, “it doesn’t mean we will accept
‘[Mrs May] is a person who feels she has an obligation to the British people to deliver Brexit’
it or are going to do it”.
It came as Sir Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, was accused of being an “ideologue” who is “obstructing” Brexit negotiations between the Conservatives and Labour with his demands for a second referendum, Tories involved in the negotiations have claimed.
Ministers say they have found John Mcdonnell, the shadow chancellor, and Rebecca Long-bailey, the shadow business secretary, more open to compromise than the shadow Brexit secretary.
However, Labour sources last night accused the Tories of failing to compromise on a deal that had already been rejected three times.
It has also been claimed that Sir Keir and Ms Long-bailey – who is opposed to a second referendum – clashed openly during the talks.
A source close to the talks told The Daily Telegraph: “Long-bailey and Mcdonnell have been quite measured. The greatest ideologue is Keir; he has strong views on a second referendum. We get the impression he would be happy for Brexit not to happen.”
Yesterday, in a half-hour-long meeting, Michael Gove, the Environment Secretary, and Mr Mcdonnell continued talks. Further discussions are expected this week on workers’ rights and environmental protections.