Dominic Raab says France could try to slow down UK ports in latest no-deal Brexit row
3 min read
Cabinet minister Dominic Raab has risked a fresh row with the EU after claiming French officials could deliberately take a "go-slow approach" to undermine Britain in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
Speaking in the House of Commons today, the Brexit Secretary said the UK was "preparing for the worst" as it braces for traffic gridlock at the Dover and Calais ports if it cannot secure a Brexit deal with the EU.
He told MPs: "We need to prepare for the worst-case scenario where the authorities at Calais are deliberately directing a go-slow approach by supporting a diversion of the flow to more amenable ports in other countries."
Mr Raab meanwhile warned that a hardline stance from the EU could tip the UK into leaving the bloc without a deal.
He said: "There is a risk of no deal, especially if the EU engage in a deliberately intransigent approach."
Britain's negotiations with the EU remain deadlocked over the best way to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
In a bid to break the impasse, Theresa May told the Commons this week that the two sides were discussing an extension to the Brexit transition period in which the UK's relationship with Brussels will remain broadly the same.
But the PM is also demanding that the bloc shelves its "backstop" plan to keep Northern Ireland part of its customs regime if a longer-term solution on the border cannot be found.
Mr Raab - who will start giving weekly updates to his Cabient colleagues about the Government's no-deal planning - today defended the preparations being done in Whitehall.
He said: "We have given a range of advice through our 106 technical notices, half of which gave advice on customs procedures from businesses.
"There have been 300,000 letters sent to current customs users and letters to 145,000 VAT registered businesses."
The comments came after a hard-hitting report by the National Audit Office spending watchdog revealed that key systems that will be needed at the UK border in the event of a no-deal Brexit are unlikely to be ready in time.
In a bid to calm business jitters over the UK's exit from the bloc, Mrs May is set to hold talks with 120 chief executives and chairs of UK businesses as well as international investors in Britain.
The Prime Minister's official spokesperson said: "The Budget is obviously a significant event for business and for the country at large so it’s an opportunity to update on some of the core messages from the Budget.
"But equally we are approaching March 2019 and the PM wants to make sure that business is fully engaged in what the Government are doing and to provide them with information and updates."
PoliticsHome Newsletters
PoliticsHome provides the most comprehensive coverage of UK politics anywhere on the web, offering high quality original reporting and analysis: Subscribe
