Boris Johnson fails to stand by false claim there will be no additional red tape under Brexit trade agreement

‘He wasn’t being straight with the British public,’ says Keir Starmer

Boris Johnson has failed to stand by his incorrect claim that there will be “no non-tariff barriers” to trade under the UK-EU Brexit trade agreement brokered on Christmas Eve, as Sir Keir Starmer accused him of failing to be “straight” with the British public.

The prime minister made the suggestion of no additional red tape just last week hours after securing an agreement with Brussels and despite the government already admitting businesses will be subject to customs checks after the transition period.

Earlier this month, the chief executive of HMRC stated during a Commons committee that businesses would face an “administrative burden” of customs declaration paperwork to the tune of £7.5 billion a year due to the UK leaving the EU’s customs union.

Speaking in the House of Commons as MPs debated the Brexit trade Bill – just one day before the end of the transition period – Sir Keir Starmer asked Mr Johnson to “correct the record” over the claim there would be no “no non-tariff barriers”.

He said: “He wasn’t being straight with the British public. That’s plain wrong. It’s worse that, it wasn’t an aide, it wasn’t an interview, an off the record remark, it was a scripted speech.

“The prime minister knows it’s not true — every member of this House knows it’s not true.”

But, Mr Johnson deflected from the question, asking the Labour leader whether he would have wanted the UK to remain in the bloc’s customs union and single market.

Sir Keir went on: “The prime minister told the British public there will be no-non tariff barriers to trade. His answer just now is not an answer to that. It’s not true and the prime minister knows what he said is not true. He simply won’t stand up and acknowledge it today.”

His remarks came as MPs geared up to vote on the EU (Future Relationship Bill) on Tuesday before the end of the Brexit transition period on New Year’s Eve. It is expected to clear all its parliamentary stages in just a single day.

Former prime minister Theresa May told Mr Johnson she would support the legislation citing “very important” security arrangements, adding: "He said he wanted a better deal. He had the opportunity in early 2019 when there was the opportunity of a better deal on the table and he voted against it, so I will take no lectures from the leader of the Opposition on this deal."

"Central to this deal the PM has said is the tariff free and quota free trade arrangements subject of course to rules of origin requirements. It would have been unforgiveable for the EU not to have allowed tariff free and quota free access given that they signed up to that in the political declaration signed with my Government in November 2018.

"One of the reasons for supporting this deal is the security arrangements that have been put in place which are very important."