Goods travelling from mainland UK to Northern Ireland will be required to go through “light-touch checks”, according to Michael Gove. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster appeared before the European Union Select Committee to give an update on the progress of Brexit trade deal negotiations. This emerges despite the Prime Minister himself insisting multiple times that there will be no checks in the Irish Sea.

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Mr Gove told the committee: “We believe it’s possible to have light-touch checks which can be conducted on the ferry through transportation which will ensure all requirements can be met.

“But, of course, it’s a matter for the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Specialised Committee to refine those.

“The other thing we want is to make sure also those goods which go from the UK to Northern Ireland and then pass on to the Republic of Ireland are appropriately registered so tariffs can be paid on those if necessary.

“It’s important to stress that the amount of trade that goes between GB and the Republic of Ireland that goes through Northern Ireland is small.”

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He continuted: “We want to make sure checks are not so onerous they create financial and administrative burdens for businesses in Northern Ireland.

“We are engaging closely with the Northern Ireland office and business departments in Northern Ireland.

“We want to make sure that this is less a matter of the draconian imposition of a new set of burdensome checks.

“But more effective implementation of the Protocol in a way that goes with the grain of business.”

The minister added: “It’s principally the case that to protect the single market, checks will be required on products of animal origin going from GB to NI.

“But it’s also the case that the Protocol sets that goods coming from Northern Ireland into the UK should enjoy unfettered access.

“It’s important that we recognise there’s a difference between goods going from Great Britain into Northern Ireland and then potentially into the Republic, and coming from Northern Ireland into the rest of the UK, where we don’t want to have any unecessary impediment.”

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