Matthew Taylor

Sunday shows round-up: Michael Gove – ‘Significant question marks’ over PM’s customs partnership

The Environment Secretary Michael Gove has defended Boris Johnson’s criticism of the Prime Minister’s proposed ‘customs partnership’ ideal in a recent Daily Mail interview, and told Nick Robinson that the proposal ‘has flaws’. Gove and Johnson are reported to be in favour of a ‘maximum facilitation’ arrangement (or ‘Max Fac’) which would make use of technology and trusted trader schemes to help ensure a relatively open border with Ireland post-Brexit:

NR: You’re on a cabinet working group to deal with this so-called customs partnership. Boris Johnson calls it ‘crazy’. Is he right?

MG: …In the interview that Boris gave to the Daily Mail, he pointed out some of the flaws with the new customs partnership, and across Government, across Cabinet, there is agreement that neither of these two models is absolutely perfect. And with the new customs partnership, Boris pointed out that because it’s novel, because no model like this exists, there have to be significant question marks over the deliverability of it on time. More than that, what the new customs partnership requires the British government to do is in effect to act as the tax collector, and very possibly the effective delivery of regulation for the European Union…

NR: I want to be clear – is it the government’s view, is it your view… that this idea is crazy?

MG: It is my view that the new customs partnership has flaws and they need to be tested.

Gove dismissed the idea of extending the UK’s transition period beyond 2020, proclaiming ‘In delay there lies no plenty, as Shakespeare once said’. He also paid his respects to Tessa Jowell, citing her as ‘one of the kindest and most thoughtful people you could find in public life.’

Alistair Campbell – Tessa Jowell was ‘the best of humanity’

Tributes have been paid to the long serving Labour MP and government minister Dame Tessa Jowell, who died peacefully on Saturday after suffering a brain haemorrhage the day before.

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