No 10 rules out customs union with EU amid confusion over government policy
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/feb/04/cabinet-united-brexit-trade-strategy-amber-rudd-theresa-may-customs-union
Downing Street has ruled out involvement in a customs union with the European Union amid confusion over government policy as Theresa May prepares for a crucial week of talks.
After the exposure of divisions between ministers over the UK’s future relationship with the EU, an official source said:
“It is not our policy to be in the customs union. It is not our policy to be in a customs union.” The statement went further than May who, on Friday, refused to rule out involvement in a customs union when questioned during her visit to China.
The development will anger remainers who have clung to hope that Britain will strike a deal with the EU that allows a close relationship with the EU after Brexit.
But it will soothe the fears of Conservative Brexiters who have been threatening a leadership challenge if May moves towards an agreement with the EU that restricts the trade deals the UK can seek with third parties.
The clarification came on the eve of a visit to Downing Street by the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, and as officials in Brussels prepared to begin talks on the transitional arrangements. Key cabinet colleagues will meet on Wednesday and Thursday to decide the details of the government’s policy regarding a customs union.
Ruling out a customs union is 'profound mistake', says Benn
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/feb/05/ruling-out-a-customs-union-is-profound-mistake-says-hilary-benn
Ruling out any continued customs union with the EU is “a profound mistake”, the Labour chair of the Brexit committee, Hilary Benn, has said, warning that it could both harm the economy and risk conflict in Northern Ireland.
Speaking after Downing Street said the UK would not be involved in either the current customs union or a new union to replace it, at the start of a crucial week of Brexit discussions, Benn said time was running out for ministers to decide on their final goals.
He said: “I think it’s a profound mistake to leave a customs union with the European Union.” Doing so would necessarily involve a return to some sort of checks on the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, which could jeopardise the peace process, he warned.
More widely, Benn said there was “disfunction at the heart of government”, which meant big decisions were not being taken, causing massive uncertainty for businesses.