Labour claims about Brexit customs checks nonsense: PM

LONDON: Boris Johnson has labelled Labour claims that his Brexit deal would lead to customs checks between Great Britain and Northern Ireland as “complete nonsense”.

Jeremy Corbyn said he had obtained a confidential government report which “drives a coach and horses” through the Prime Minister’s claim that there will be no border in the Irish Sea under his plan.

But Johnson insisted voters should believe him when he says there will be no checks on goods going between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Asked about the Labour leader’s claims, Johnson said: “I haven’t seen the document you’re referring to but that’s complete nonsense, and what I can tell you is that with the deal that we have we can come out as one whole UK.”

He later added: “They should believe exactly what I say, which is that there will be no goods going from GB to NI or from NI to GB because we are going to come out of the EU whole and entire, and that was the objective that we secured.”

The Conservatives said the document presented by Corbyn was only an immediate assessment of the PM’s deal and represents a “flash” and incomplete analysis which had not been seen by Johnson.

Last month, the PM suggested Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay had been wrong to say goods between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK would face checks as a result of the deal struck with the EU.