UK announce it will spend £700m to secure Britain-EU border

More than £700 million ($885 million) is to be spent on building new infrastructure, hiring staff and developing technology to secure Britain’s border when the UK leaves the EU at the end of the year.

Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said,

“We are taking back control of our borders, and leaving the single market and the customs union at the end of this year bringing both changes and significant opportunities for which we all need to prepare.”

The £705 million package will be used to recruit around 500 more Border Force personnel,  staffing and IT systems, new equipment to keep the country safe, and £470 million for port and inland infrastructure to ensure compliance with new customs procedures and controls.

New border infrastructure will be built inland where there is no space at ports, while ports will get one-off financial support to ensure the right infrastructure is in place.

The funding relates only to the implementation of the GB-EU border. The Government is expected to publish specific guidance and measures for Northern Ireland in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, the Sunday Telegraph reported that Chancellor Rishi Sunak is poised to introduce tax cuts and an overhaul of planning laws in up to 10 new freeports.

Mr Sunak is said to be planning to open bidding for towns, cities and regions to become freeports – where UK taxes and tariffs will not apply – in his autumn Budget.