UK unveils border plan, campaign ahead of Brexit

Government: Burdens will be offset by new opportunities

LONDON — The British government told individuals and businesses Monday to get ready for new costs and red tape — but also an exciting “new start” — when the U.K. leaves the European Union’s economic embrace in less than six months.

The government unveiled details of new border arrangements and a major public information campaign to remind Britons that Brexit has not gone away, even though it has been knocked out of the headlines by the coronavirus pandemic.

Britain officially left the EU on Jan. 31, but remains inside the bloc’s economic orbit until the end of 2020.

Advertisements under the “The U.K.’s new start: let’s get going” campaign will warn British tourists that starting Jan. 1 they’ll need to buy health insurance, arrange paperwork for their pets and check their telephone provider’s roaming policy when they travel to the EU.

Companies that do business with the 27-nation bloc, which accounts for about half of Britain’s trade, will have to fill in customs declarations and potentially pay tariffs, depending on the outcome of talks about a post-Brexit free-trade deal.

The British government has softened the blow for importers by saying they would not have to complete full customs declarations or pay tariffs for the first six months of next year.

Even with a deal, the U.K. will need a vast new customs and border infrastructure to deal with trade that has flowed unimpeded during the U.K.’s 47 years as a member of the European bloc. The government announced Monday that it plans to spend $890 million on new border posts, computer systems and personnel.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative government says the burdens of Brexit will be offset by new economic opportunities as the U.K. strikes fresh trade deals around the world.

Britain and the EU have given themselves until the end of the year to strike a deal on trade, security and a host of other issues.

But negotiations have bogged down amid differences on major issues, including fishing rights and competition. Even with a deal, the U.K. faces new barriers to business with the EU. Without one, it faces an abrupt, disruptive departure that would hammer many businesses, and with the U.K. economy already hammered by COVID-19.

One major change will be the end of Britons’ freedom to live and work anywhere in the EU, and of Europeans’ right to settle in the U.K. More than 3 million EU citizens currently living in the U.K. are entitled to stay. But from Jan. 1, 2021, new immigration rules will apply to EU and non-EU citizens alike.

Britain is introducing a “points based” immigration system that will assess prospective immigrants on criteria including English-language ability, having a job offer from an approved employer and meeting a minimum salary threshold.

The system is designed to cut the number of lowskilled migrants entering Britain from the beginning of next year, but also aims to make it easier for higherskilled workers to get U.K. visas.

PAUL ELLIS/GETTY-AFP Newspapers display Britain’s new advertisement on the country’s exit from the EU.