The CBI welcomes the Alternative Arrangements Commission’s constructive approach, open dialogue and honest acknowledgement of constraints.
The Alternative Arrangements Commission is the most influential policy group in Westminster working on customs proposals. The commission has published an interim report on their views – a report with recommendations likely to be highly impactful with the next Prime Minister, and already referenced by both Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt. The government has also established its own consultation on alternative arrangements to the backstop, on which the CBI’s Northern Ireland Director, Angela McGowan sits.
The politics and policies around the Irish backstop have been an issue of contention for many months, and given the controversy and significance, the CBI drew on rapid consultation with its members, particularly those who are customs experts or based in Northern Ireland, in order to provide the business view to the Commission.
Through its consultation, the CBI responded by welcoming the Alternative Arrangements Commission’s constructive approach, open dialogue and honest acknowledgement of constraints, but repeating its long-held view on the backstop, which
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