Our hub draws together all our work on EU exit
Government planning for EU Exit was a task with little or no historical precedent. Departments had to prepare for multiple potential outcomes, with shifting timetables and uncertainty. Our work – spanning some 30 reports – reflected the scale and breadth of this task.
With a challenge like this, it was not possible for departments to plan for every eventuality. But lessons can be learned from the period of planning for no deal, where in some cases rushed decisions meant that taxpayers’ money was not well spent.
Our reports have highlighted the delivery risk associated with putting in place the necessary systems, infrastructure and resources to manage the border.
They also made clear the importance of ensuring that businesses, traders and other border users were ready for the changes that followed the end of the transition period on 31 December 2020, and those that are still to come.
We will continue to examine government’s implementation of further changes to border arrangements, its management of the UK’s new relationship with the EU and its new domestic responsibilities, and the resulting impact on areas such as trade, immigration, security and regulation.
Gareth Davies, Comptroller & Auditor General (C&AG)
