FTA urges members to continue preparing for no-deal despite latest proposal
04 / 10 / 2019
The Freight Transport Association (FTA) is urging its members to continue preparing for a no-deal Brexit despite the UK government’s latest proposal.
Earlier this week UK prime minister Boris Johnson proposed that when the UK leaves the European Union (EU), Northern Ireland would stay in the single market for goods, but leave the customs union.
How the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland is managed has been one of the major sticking points in discussions so far.
The European Commission said the proposal has “problematic points”, but is prepared to enter discussions.
The FTA said that its members should continue to prepare for a no-deal Brexit.
FTA deputy chief executive James Hookham said: “With no certainty that these new proposals will lead to a deal, we continue to urge our members to prepare as fully as possible, given the time available, for a No Deal exit from the EU.
“With only three weeks to go, a number of important questions and clarifications on our No Deal readiness dashboard remain unanswered, and we urge Government to resolve and mitigate the significant risks to trade still posed by a No Deal exit from the EU on 31 October.
“While a deal is preferable to the potential disruption which a No Deal Brexit would bring, FTA will continue to advise government on how the logistics industry can Keep Britain Trading, whatever the potential solution.
“FTA has offered to help the Government develop and implement an effective solution for trade on the island of Ireland and, while this offer has yet to be taken up, our door remains open.”
