"No time to lose" before end of Brexit transition period, says government

• The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and the Business Secretary urge businesses to act now with just one month to go until changes to the way we trade come into effect;

• Government launches 24/7 Border Operations Centre using cutting-edge software to monitor the UK border in real-time;

• The new centre will provide a complete view of goods and passengers coming in and out of ports for the first time, paving the way for the UK to have the world’s most effective border by 2025.

With just one month to go until the end of the Brexit transition period, the Government is urging business owners to make their final preparations before new rules come into force.

To support efforts to get ready, the Government is announcing the creation of a multi-million pound Border Operations Centre with state-of-the-art technology manned 24/7 by a team of expert officials monitoring the UK border in real time.

At the heart of the operation will be the Border Flow Service - software that gathers information about the flow of goods and passengers. Changes to the way we trade with Europe will likely mean that there is short term disruption at the border. However, with access to better information and intelligence than before, the Government will be able keep goods and people moving smoothly and make our country safer and more secure. It will also allow the Government and local police to make rapid decisions to ensure any disruption is minimised.

From July, UK imports from the EU will require safety and security declarations for the first time. This data, which we will have access to as a result of leaving the EU, will deliver a step-change in our approach to organised crime at the border, seeing us seize more illicit commodities and dismantle organised crime groups, helping stamp down on the harm these people inflict on our communities.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Michael Gove, said:

“At the end of year we will take back control of our borders and that’s why we have set up the new Border Operations Centre to monitor and analyse flows of goods and people into the UK in real time. This will help us tackle challenges quickly and decisively, and give us increased information which will make us safer and more secure.”

As it develops over time, the Border Operations Centre will be able to analyse historical trends and will have predictive capability - supporting the UK’s ambition to develop the world’s most effective border by 2025.

As the end of the year draws near, the Government has also sent letters to businesses of all sizes in various sectors – from tourism to construction – to ensure they know what they need to do to prepare for the challenges and seize the opportunities that leaving the EU will bring.

The actions listed in the letters will need to be completed regardless of the outcome of our negotiations with the EU, so to avoid any disruption to their business when the transition period ends on 31 December it is important firms do not delay. The letters complement our public information campaign which tells businesses that “Time is Running Out”.

In a message to businesses, Michael Gove said:

"Regardless of the outcome of our negotiations with the EU, there are guaranteed changes that businesses must prepare for now.

"There is no time to lose, but by visiting gov.uk/transition you can quickly find out what actions you need to take.”

Business Secretary Alok Sharma said:

“Our fresh start outside of the EU single market and customs union is just on the horizon.

“As we enter the home stretch, businesses must make sure they are fully prepared for the new rules and opportunities that being an independent trading nation will bring.

“Amongst all our proactive work with business, I have written to nearly five million firms across the UK outlining the top actions they need to take, and reminding them that the Government is here to support them as the transition period ends”.

To make sure businesses have the support they need over the coming weeks the Government has:

• Established a Brexit Business Taskforce which meets every week,

• Published the Border Operating Model which gives traders the clarity they need to prepare for new rules,

• Published the Haulier Handbook and opened 45 Information and Advice sites have across the UK,

• Invested £705m in jobs, infrastructure and technology at the border,

• Provided £84m in grants to grow the customs intermediary sector, and

• Decided to introduce new border controls in three stages up until 1 July 2021 to give traders time to prepare.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

Further business engagement:

• In October, the Business Secretary wrote to over 530,000 firms via the Companies House network, encouraging them to take steps to get ready.

• In recent weeks, the Business Department has also been running a series of 16 successful readiness webinars - which have been watched by over 10,765 people - to help businesses get prepared for 1 January.

• The webinars covered key actions for various sectors, from automotive to services, as well as issues that could affect businesses in multiple sectors, including personal data, and regulations on manufactured goods.

• We have recently launched a new page on GOV.UK where business can sign up for webinars or watch pre-recorded webinars about the new rules on trading with the EU from 1 January 2021.

The Border Flow System will:

• identify flow rates of imports and exports based on type of goods/traders

• identify root causes of disruption to flow on passengers or goods

• understand levels of trader readiness and how they are improving

• analyse trends over time, project future flow and identify potential disruption to flow

• achieve real time situational awareness on status and flow of key commodities across the border and identify potential shortages

• use computer modelling to project how effective interventions will be

The Government’s ambition is for a transformed border by 2025 that will deliver benefits including:

• reducing administrative costs and burdens for traders to improve the end-to-end experience for those moving goods across the border

• improving the experience of travellers, for example by using digital identification systems

• improving how we protect the UK from those who may pose a risk to us, for example by deterring and disrupting organised crime and terrorism, identifying and preventing biosecurity threats, and preventing abuse of the migration system