A completely open Irish border after Brexit is ‘not possible’, according to a leaked internal report which plunges the government’s plan into doubt.
Theresa May has promised she will keep the crossing soft and not return to the border checks and guards of the past.
But a secret assessment by the Irish government’s customs agency said it is ‘naive’ to think the border can stay open when we quit the bloc.
It predicts that paperwork arising from customs checks will increase eight-fold post Brexit, leaving staff snowed under.
And it poured scorn on the likelihood that a customs relationship can be forged between the EU, UK and Ireland to allow the current situation to remain.
A leaked internal report drawn up by the Irish government’s customs agency warns that it is naive to think Ireland, the UK and the EU will be able to strike a deal which keeps the Irish border completely open (file pic)
Labour Party leader Brendan Howlin said: ‘I see no point in the Government keeping this analysis to itself. The report should be published, with redactions if necessary, over the coming days.’
And he called for the Irish government to focus its energies on trying to keep the UK in the customs union and single market post Brexit.
This would mean Britain does not have to impose its own customs arrangements and border checks, but it would mean we could not strike free trade deals around the world.
The Revenue report said 91,000 Irish companies trade with the UK and predicts a surge in customs declarations after Brexit.
There will be eight times more paperwork and a likelihood of delays in both processing and physical crossings, the document found.
Theresa May, pictured outside No10 today, has promised to keep an open Irish border post Brexit, but the report raises serious questions about her ability to be able to deliver on that promise
It warned that border roads, ports and airports will all need extra infrastructure to keep track of the flow of goods between the different countries and trading blocs.
The report is a major blow for Mrs May who in her Florence speech last month promised there would be ‘no physical infrastructure’ on the border after Brexit.
The British government and the EU are both desperate to keep the Irish border soft a they fear a return to the checkpoints of the past could imperil the peace process.
The report by the Revenue Commissioners said it will need more staff and further investment, with temporary facilities needed for customs clearance.
There will also have to be new systems for granting permits and it warned the business the administrative and cost burden will be high.
It said regional airports will need customs infrastructure, while officers will face having to screen the 13,000 commercial vehicles that cross the frontier daily.
Fianna Fáil Brexit spokesman Stephen Donnelly said: ‘On the basis of this, it’s very hard to come to any other conclusion than we’re heading for a hard border.’