£705m plan to prepare UK borders

BRITAIN will spend £705 million (nearly R15 billion) on border infrastructure to help keep trade flowing after its transition deal with the EU expires at the end of the year, Cabinet Secretary Michael Gove said yesterday.

The funding includes £470m to build port and inland infrastructure, including in the south-east of England to serve major freight crossings to France. “There will be specific pieces of infrastructure that we put in place to smooth the flow of traffic,” Gove said.

Britain, which is still in talks with the EU about a post-Brexit trade deal, said it would shortly set out in detail how the British-EU border would operate. Gove’s cabinet colleague International Trade Secretary Liz Truss, in a letter published by Business Insider, voiced concerns about legal challenges to the border proposals and the risk that ports will not be ready in time.

Asked whether Britain’s borders would be ready and secure by the end of the year, Gove said he thought they would be. He said there had been “movement” in the negotiations between Britain and the EU about a post-transition trade deal. “There are hopeful signs, but I wouldn’t want to be over-enthusiastic,” he said.

The border between Northern Ireland, which is part of the UK, and EU member Ireland will be subject to specific guidance. “We will be saying more about how we are going to implement the Northern Ireland protocol later.”

Britain was also to unveil a postBrexit, points-based immigration system allowing it to “take back control of (its) borders and unleash the country’s full potential,” Home Secretary Priti Patel said yesterday. The new system will apply from January 1.

Post-Brexit Britain will be “a sovereign nation with an immigration system that attracts the best from all over the world,” Patel wrote in The Sun. “We are cutting red tape and giving businesses more freedom to hire people from across the globe.”

The government has promised to reduce low-skilled migration and facilitate entry for skilled professionals, awarding points for English-language skills and confirmed job offers, and requiring minimum earnings.

Gove said the points-based system was designed to “attract the scientists, innovators and entrepreneurs who can power economic growth”.