Britain is probably leaving the EU customs union, Boris Johnson, the foreign secretary, has claimed, despite Whitehall warnings that it could seriously harm the economy. Johnson is also reported to have said that the idea that free movement of people is a founding pillar of the EU is nonsense. “If we do leave the customs union, it will be imperative that both UK and EU negotiators create a bespoke deal to allow trade to continue to move freely through our ports. Ed Miliband, the former Labour leader, said Johnson’s apparently unscripted intervention on the customs union was a sign of the government’s disarray. “With impeccable timing, Boris Johnson now says the UK is ‘probably’ leaving the customs union, thereby proving the Brexit chaos that No 10 is denying,” he said.

Source: The Guardian November 15, 2016 18:05 UTC