Such an agreement would reduce bureaucratic and trade barriers.
Brexit is once again becoming a major news topic in the UK after the Liberal Democrats received support for the creation of a bespoke customs union. What is the current situation for the UK and what advantages would such an agreement bring?
Debates about Brexit have resumed in the UK after more than 100 MPs supported a bill introduced by the centrist Liberal Democrats party. It ranks third in the UK Parliament and is calling for the establishment of a customs union between the UK and the EU on demand.
Such an agreement, according to the Liberal Democrats, would reduce bureaucratic and trade barriers between the EU and the UK by aligning customs procedures.
However, to enshrine it in law, the bill must be supported by the government, which, despite the backing of a dozen MPs from the ruling center-left Labour Party, remains unlikely.
Starmer has ruled out the possibility of rejoining the customs union—whether bespoke or officially—arguing that it would "destroy" the trade deals that the UK has already made with other countries, such as the US. The UK officially left the EU customs union and the single market at the end of December 2020, signing the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. This occurred more than four years after the Brexit referendum in 2016.
Under this agreement, goods moving between the EU and the UK are eligible for zero tariffs provided they meet the criteria of rules of origin: they must consist predominantly of components from the EU or the UK. Despite this, a number of regulatory and customs control measures remain in place.
A unilateral decision was also made not to conduct certain checks.
Additionally, as part of Starmer's efforts to strengthen ties with the EU after relations soured under successive right-wing Conservative governments, a number of plans were adopted at a May "reset" meeting between the UK and the EU, including a phytosanitary agreement aimed at reducing food product checks.
Liberal Democrat MP Al Pinkerton, who introduced the bill on Tuesday, believes his proposal will relieve British businesses of the wave of additional paperwork caused by Brexit. "British businesses are pleading for this," Pinkerton said in an interview with the Euronews fact-checking team The Cube.
"Since 2021, there have been two billion documents, and this adds millions of pounds in costs to British businesses," he said.
Pinkerton added that he has received "very positive" feedback from European companies, which in turn have faced rising costs due to border checks following Brexit.
According to Pinkerton, his proposal is intended to "get the government to start the negotiation process" regarding what the UK can achieve in a new, bespoke agreement with Brussels.
"I struck a match, and it gave a little light, and it gave a little warmth," he said. "But the truth is that it will only succeed if something else catches fire as a result. One of the things that has really pleased me over the last few days is the level of public debate that has been sparked by this."
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