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UK Government launches consultation on 2025 Border Strategy

UK Government launches consultation on the 2025 Border Strategy, which will set its vision for world’s most effective border by 2025

The UK government has launched a consultation on the 2025 UK Border Strategy.

This consultation seeks the views and expertise of a range of organisations to help develop the 2025 UK Border Strategy, and ensure that government and industry are able to work together to design the world’s most effective and innovative border by 2025.

On December 31 2020 the UK transition period with the EU will end, and the UK will operate a full, external border as a sovereign nation. The UK now has a unique opportunity to design the world’s most effective border, helping businesses take advantage of new trading relationships around the world and keeping citizens safer.

Using the ideas gathered through the consultation the government will publish a 2025 UK Border Strategy by the end of the year setting out a clear vision and roadmap that the government and border industry, working together, can deliver.

The government’s ambition is for a transformed border by 2025 that will deliver benefits including:

  • reducing administrative costs and burdens for traders to improve the end-to-end experience for those moving goods across the border
  • improving the experience of travellers, for example by using digital identification systems
  • improving how we protect the UK from those who may pose a risk to us, for example by deterring and disrupting organised crime and terrorism, identifying and preventing biosecurity threats, and preventing abuse of the migration system

UK Government will work with industry to build a more user-centric border, moving processes away from the border where appropriate and using digital systems to enable the swift clearance of goods and people.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove said: On January 1 2021, we will have full control over our border for the first time in decades, and the freedom to design how it operates in order to deliver the greatest benefit for the UK. We are launching this consultation to draw upon the expertise of the UK border industry as we develop our strategy to build the world’s most effective and efficient border over the next five years.

By taking advantage of our new independence, we will be able to get a proper grip on exactly who and what comes in and out of the country and give our dedicated Border Force personnel new tools to catch criminals, whilst improving the flow of goods to make the UK border the most effective in the world by 2025.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said: Our ambition to build the world’s most effective and efficient border will ensure the UK takes full advantage of our new status as an independent trading nation. We will harness new technology to create a digital border, supporting businesses to import and export with ease and at low cost, and supporting our aims to bring the brightest and best talent from around the world to the UK.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said: The British people have voted to take back control of our border and introduce a new points-based immigration system. Looking forward to 2025, our new border strategy will play an important role in realising that aim, ensuring we are able to attract the best global talent and have full control of our border. We will transform the way in which people come to the UK, making it an even better place to live, work, study and visit. Whilst at the same time improving security, reducing illegal migration, and illicit commodity flows through investment in the border and better use of data.

The consultation is open for 6 weeks and closes on 28 August.