Michael Gove heads to Brussels as UK trade talks with the EU resume
Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove is heading to Brussels today to begin a week of Brexit trade talks.
Mr Gove will discuss the implementation of the Brexit divorce deal with European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic.
Formal negotiations between the European Union and the United Kingdom will resume on Tuesday.
The Brexit transition period is due to end on December 31, but the UK and the EU have yet to agree to a trade deal.
Chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier is said to be neither optimistic nor pessimistic about the chances of a deal, BBC News reported.
Relations are strained after the UK introduced the Internal Market Bill , which would breach the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, as well as international law, if it passes the Commons.
The Internal Market Bill has been criticised for breaching the terms of the Good Friday Agreement by several US politicians, including Nancy Pelosi and Democrat nominee Joe Biden, who have also said it would make a trade deal between the UK and the US impossible.
It comes after Mr Gove announced that hauliers will need special permits to gain access to Kent as the Government plans to create an “internal border” in an attempt to avoid post-Brexit gridlock.
Mr Gove said the permits could help avoid queues of up to 7,000 trucks seeking to cross the English Channel after the UK leaves the single market and customs union at the end of the year.
The Kent Access Permit (KAP) system could be enforced by police or the use of cameras monitoring the number plates of vehicles entering the county at points such as the Dartford Crossing bringing freight from Essex.
Mr Gove set out the measure as he outlined “reasonable worst-case scenarios” that could emerge from January 1.
A lack of preparation for the end of the transition period could result in as many as 70 per cent of lorries being turned back from France, with thousands of goods vehicles waiting up to 48 hours to reach Dover as a result of the chaos.
