Robert Jackman

Brexit Britain needs 21st century borders

Whatever form Brexit might take, the Government has been clear about its intentions to take the country global: the Prime Minister has promised that post-Brexit Britain will be an outward-looking country, trading and engaging with countries from across the world.

But if Britain is to copy with the increase in trade and visitors (both of which are expected to double within the next thirty years), it will be necessary to revisit and revitalise the country’s border and customs infrastructure. The Home Office’s failure to meet its existing targets for clearing visitors (within 25 minutes for EEA passports, and 45 minutes for non-EEA visitors have been well-publicised) – how can the UK cope with higher traffic?

Then there are the additional challenges posed by Brexit: the realities of running an independent trade policy will mean additional procedures and administration for trade and customs. How can the country develop a comprehensive customs and border strategy which deal with this increased volume and in a way which is quicker, smarter and safer than existing systems?

With the support of Leidos, The Spectator hosted a roundtable lunch of experts and practitioners with knowledge of the UK border, to discuss how new technologies might play a role in delivering this vision – and the political practicalities of making this happen

Tony Smith, managing director of Fortinus Global and former head of UK Border Force, kicked off the discussion by explaining the context. ‘A successful border strategy should allow for the quickest possible facilitation of the 99.99% of people and goods which are perfectly safe, whilst helping to identify – as precisely as possible – the 0.01% of traffic which needs our attention’, he said.

Tony went on to outline what he described as the ‘multiple borders strategy’ – this essentially redefines the border as a series of transactions, rather than a physical entity (a queue in an airport, for example).

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