CUSTOMS PROPOSALS
British firms face more red tape in EU exit trade plans
London — The UK outlined two potential visions for a post-Brexit customs arrangement with the EU aimed at delivering "the freest and most frictionless" possible trade, albeit while imposing greater red tape on businesses. A 14-page document released on Tuesday by Brexit Secretary David Davis’s department envisions how to span Britain’s departure from the EU in March 2019 to a day when a new trading relationship is ready to run. During that time, according to the UK’s proposal, Britain would be free to negotiate and sign new trade deals with other countries, but would be unable to implement them if they breached the terms of interim arrangements with the EU. The interim agreement "would be as close as we can to the current arrangements" while giving Britain the freedom to line up new trade deals, Davis said on BBC Radio 4. The pitch underlined how complex the process of Britain unpicking ties with the world’s biggest trading bloc will be. While Brexit campaigners said the divorce wou...
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