It's too late to prepare UK borders for no-deal Brexit, National Audit Office tells Theresa May

Failure to plan will open up 'weaknesses' which 'organised criminals and others are likely to be quick to exploit' – if UK crashes out of the EU

Britain has left it too late to prepare its borders for a no-deal Brexit, which would be a gift for organised criminals and chaotic for traders, the UK’s spending watchdog warns Theresa May today.

Only one of 12 new “critical systems” is likely to be ready after planning was undermined by “political uncertainty and delays in negotiations”, the National Audit Office (NAO) has concluded.

The failure would open up “weaknesses or gaps in the enforcement regime” which “organised criminals and others are likely to be quick to exploit”, its highly-critical report says.

And the problem will be made worse by the UK losing full access to EU security databases after Brexit, which police chiefs have already warned will weaken the fight against crime.

Meanwhile, firms would be hit with delays for goods crossing the border while rogue operators would escape tax and regulatory checks, the report predicts.

Diane Abbott, Labour’s shadow home secretary, seized on the findings as “painting a damning picture on the government’s lack of security preparation for Brexit”.

She said: “The British people will never forgive this government if its in-fighting and political jockeying led them to neglect border security and the international co-operation needed to tackle serious, organised crime and terrorism.”

And the Federation of Small Businesses said ministers were living in “dreamland” if they believed the ability to track and examine goods at the border would be in place for leaving the EU next March.

“Every day that passes brings us closer to the sobering realities of a no-deal Brexit that will be damaging and dangerous for our small firms,” said Mike Cherry, the FSB chairman.

The prime minister and other senior ministers have repeatedly insisted Britain will be prepared for the shock of a no-deal departure, with only minor disruption.

But the NAO reveals the government knew last July that it was “already too late to ensure that all traders were properly prepared” for a no deal.

Amyas Morse, the head of the NAO, criticised ministers for admitting border checks would be “less than optimal” after a no-deal Brexit, without saying what that “means in practice, or how long this will last”.

The government has said it will “prioritise security and flow of traffic’ over full checks if Britain leaves the EU without a deal – effectively leaving borders open for products.

Today’s report says the creation of a Border Delivery Group “has improved central government’s understanding of the changes that need to be put in place”.

But it said the government was “heavily dependent” on traders making changes to their own systems and on “complying with new processes”.

The NAO says: “Ongoing political uncertainty and delays in negotiations have hampered the effectiveness of departments’ border planning and delivery.

“This has reduced the time available to plan and implement new border regimes that might be required.”

And it adds: “Government papers from July 2018 stated that it was already too late to ensure that all traders were properly prepared for ‘no deal’.

Its investigation found that:

• 11 of 12 critical systems to manage the border after a no-deal Brexit were “at risk of not being delivered on time and to acceptable quality”.
• New infrastructure to “track and physically examine goods cannot be built before March 2019” – making compliance impossible from day one.
• An extra 581 staff were being recruited, but training and security clearance would prevent them all being deployed by the leaving date.
• 260 million customs declarations will need to be processed each year after a no-deal Brexit – almost five times the current 55 million.

Mr Morse said: “It is not clear what sub-optimal means in practice, or how long this will last. But what is clear is that businesses and individuals who are reliant on the border running smoothly will pay the price.”

Meg Hillier MP, chair of the Commons Public Accounts Committee, which shadows the NAO, said there had been a “complacent approach to risks to our borders from day one of Brexit”.

She added: “Infrastructure at our borders will not be in place in the event of a no-deal and there is a real danger that systems will not be ready.”

The report points out that the National Crime Agency last month said tackling crime would be “more fragmented and less effective” if the UK leaves the EU without a security agreement.

However, the EU is on course to reject the prime minister’s call for a “deep and special partnership” to preserve security co-operation, even if there is an orderly Brexit.

It is offering only a “slightly” closer tie-up than with other non-EU countries – putting at risk the European Arrest Warrant, membership of Europol and access to crime and terror databases.