Downing Street lobby briefing on customs union and Carillion job losses
1 min read
Here is a summary of this morning's briefing for lobby journalists by the Prime Minister's official spokesman.
CUSTOMS UNION
On confirmation by Downing Street that Britain will not be entering into any customs union with the EU after Brexit, the spokesman said: "The Government set out its position in August in a future partnership position paper. We will be leaving the EU and the customs union and it is not the Government's policy to be members of the customs union or a customs union. That paper in August set out two possible options and they are a 'highly-streamlined customs arrangement' and a 'new customs partnership with the EU'."
He said the second option "could be challenging to implement, but that is still something that we are pursuing".
The spokesman added: "The key point, as the Prime Minister has said many times, is that we need to have our own independent trade policy and be able to strike trade deals with the rest of the world."
CARILLION
On the announcement that 450 employees at the collapsed firm Carillion, the spokesman said: "This is a difficult time for the people working at Carillion and where the Government can provide support we will of course do so."
PoliticsHome Newsletters
PoliticsHome provides the most comprehensive coverage of UK politics anywhere on the web, offering high quality original reporting and analysis: Subscribe
