Thales shows way to border solution

It is certainly good news that Thales in Belfast has been awarded a further contract to produce anti-tank weapons, but how can we sure that none of them will fall into the wrong hands?

Well, fortunately there is a well-oiled system for export controls on such sensitive products, which is administered by the Export Control Joint Unit, part of the Department for International Trade, and which involves export licences issued through an easily used online SPIRE system.

And just as those export controls could be used to prevent such weapons finding their way across the open land border into the Irish Republic, and hence perhaps on to potential enemies, without in any way obstructing free movement across that border, so too it would a simple matter to extend that UK export control system to all manner of goods crossing the border.

From a legal standpoint it would only require trade secretary Kemi Badenoch to lay an Order under Section 12 of the Export Control Act 2002, and get it approved by both Houses of Parliament, and all goods destined for export across the land border could be brought within the existing licensing system, with licences only issued for goods which conformed to EU requirements.

This would not need the agreement of the EU or the Irish government, and therefore would be separate from the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill.

Once the UK could reassure the EU that all exports sent across the land border would be suitable for their Single Market there would no longer be any need for inefficient EU import checks and controls on good entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain, and there would no longer be any need for all of the goods produced in the province to be made to Single Market rules under the supervision of the EU court.

Dr D R Cooper, Berkshire