To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an estimate of the value of the loss of trade the would result from border IT systems not being ready from the date that the UK leaves the EU.

The government’s objective is to ensure that movement through the border is as frictionless as possible. Departments have done significant work to ensure that the IT systems for the border are ready for the day that the UK leaves the EU, and have contingency plans in place for the unlikely event that they are not. Government therefore does not expect loss of trade as a consequence of delays in UK border IT system readiness.