THE SINGLE CUSTOMS TERRITORY

May's response to Corbyn's letter, on the crucial customs union question is interesting. The Labour leader is keen for us to secure a "permanent and comprehensive UK-wide customs union. This would include alignment with the union customs code, a common external tariff and an agreement on commercial policy that includes a UK say on future EU trade deals". In her reply she seems to think the point is already resolved.  The PM writes (HERE):

THE THIRD WAY - JEEZ!

I have mentioned before this mysterious character going by the handle JDD who regularly contributes to the EU Referendum blog and seems very well connected at the centre of power. He is probably either a senior civil servant or a consultant advising ministers and mandarins. He made a slightly cryptic contribution yesterday about the third option for the customs arrangement to avoid a hard border in Ireland. It is being claimed that even David Davis hasn't seen the details of this "third way" customs plan but the BBC were reporting last night the government thought it had come up with a solution. We shall see.

DIVIDING THE INDIVISIBLE - and picking cherries

There is much talk this morning on the BBC (HERE) and elsewhere about a third customs option. This may be that we should remain in the single market for goods but diverge on services, an idea that has already been shot down by the EU. Like the customs partnership and the Max Fac options we are still clinging to these proposals like comfort blankets even though the EU has rejected all of them outright. Leo Varadkar dismissed the goods only idea again on Friday (HERE).

COLD TURKEY IS COMING SOON

A little while ago I pointed out that Guido Fawkes (HERE) had a blog post: Eurotunnel:Don't buy the scaremongering - trying to suggest all the warnings of chaos at Dover were unfounded. He used a single page from GetLink's (the tunnel's owner) presentation to company shareholders which actually confirmed the warnings (the scaremongering) that extra "border processing" might  be needed.

THE SILLY TRUCKERS

Christopher Booker writes a regular column in The Telegraph, often on Brexit. He is not a remainer but has always wanted us to leave the EU, join EFTA and the EEA and continue trading on those terms for a few years. He is also a friend of Dr Richard North of the EU Referendum blog and I believe they have collaborated on books dealing with the EU and Brexit. He is not a fool. This week he is pointing out the divide between what we're told and the truth, especially on Brexit and now the aviation sector after Airbus' warning (HERE).

GUIDO FAWKES - How wrong can you be?

I've written a few times about how much more confident you become when you see your opponent resorting to the flimsiest possible argument to support a weak case. We saw this a lot in the campaign when everything negative about Brexit was either project fear or scaremongering. Yet, although the leave campaigns rarely came up with any alternative evidence at the time, one would have thought by now there would be evidence a-plenty of Brexit's advantages - but there isn't.

THE EU DEMOLISHES THE TEMPORARY BORDER PLAN

The EU, after a weekend's work, have produced a graphic on the difference between the UK and the EU proposals for the backstop solution at the Irish border, explaining why it won't work HERE. Bear in mind the Joint Report was published seven months ago on 8th December. The EU published their draft of the legal text for the Withdrawal Agreement, which covered the backstop, on 28th February (HERE).

NEW CUSTOMS PLAN PUBLISHED

The PM and Davis met today after it was reported that Davis, according to one source close to the government, “had gone bananas” over the new backstop proposal because it contained no end date. But as the Evening Standard said (HERE) Brexiteers shouldn't be surprised the backstop period was open ended because it was written into the joint report in December.

CRUNCH TIME FOR MAY AND DAVIS

The BBC were reporting yesterday that the latest wizard backstop plan for the Irish border, shown to the cabinet today, will be published this morning (HERE) amid reports that David Davis is threatening to resign again (HERE) over the lack of a specific time limit. Meanwhile, Politico published yesterday what they claim is the essence of the plan (HERE). A cabinet minister who has seen the four page plan described it as very anodyne so don't get your hopes up.

PROBLEMS? WHAT PROBLEMS?

Rupert Matthews, the Conservative MEP for the East Midlands, has written a piece for Brexit Central HERE supposedly debunking the Sunday Times story at the weekend about the "Armageddon" which could follow a no-deal exit. He says it's nonsense and even suggests the civil service report that was at the heart of the story doesn't exist! Of course, he doesn't know for sure but let's be honest, neither do I. However, to me it all sounds very plausible, and if you read Mr Matthews' piece he doesn't debunk it at all.

FRANK FIELD

Frank Field, the Labour MP for Birkenhead, is a Brexiteer and has written a typically error strewn piece for The Sunday Express (HERE) saying we need to "toughen up" against the EU and basically urging his fellow MPs not to accept any of the Lord's amendments when the  withdrawal bill comes back to The House later this month. He makes some assertions which are just plain wrong. After years in the House and two years after the referendum he still doesn't understand the basics.

MAX FAC 2 LAUNCHED TO FANFARE!

The Sun are reporting (HERE) that David Davis has devised a clever new idea, to solve the Irish border question by having both UK and EU regulations apply in Northern Ireland and introducing a 10 mile wide buffer zone along the 300 mile border. It is said to based on a scheme used by Lichtenstein, a tiny country with a population of less than 40,000, and was apparently an idea floated by Shankar Singman while he was at The Legatum Institute, a shadowy right wing think tank, which has just been admonished by The Charities Commission for being political (HERE).

EUROTUNNEL SPELL IT OUT

Eurotunnel have now stepped in to the customs row (HERE) with a warning, this time in public, that they have been giving to ministers for "months". It's about the extra costs and delays on both sides of the tunnel with either of the two new customs proposals - even if the EU have already dismissed them anyway! The logic is irrefutable. The can't even begin to design the systems needed until the EU and the UK have reached a legally binding agreement on the future relationship. And while in The Guardian article, Eurotunnel talk of this being agreed sometime during the transition period, most commentators think it will be years away. 

HERE STARTETH THE LESSON

The latest EU Notice to Stakeholders (HERE) is really a lesson to those people arguing for the UK to remain in a customs union as a way of avoiding a hard border in Ireland. The notice tries to simplify what checks need to be made for goods "entering, transiting or leaving" the EU's external border from or to a third country. It is not immediately clear because it's trying to put over something quite complex in a very simple way. Simple enough even for Mrs May to understand.

ARE THE TORIES STARTING TO SOFTEN ON BREXIT?

We are getting to the point where some Brexiteers can vaguely see reality coming although they are still looking through rather foggy binoculars. Paul Goodman over at Conservative Home (HERE) is now writing that the party will probably accept almost anything provided we leave the EU next March. The EU can insist on whatever they wish during the transition and the transition can be as long as needed. Just get us out is the message and we can negotiate a cleaner break later.

IS THE CAN RUNNING OUT OF ROAD?

Business Insider (HERE) claim the EU has already warned Mrs May her latest customs union idea, reluctantly agreed by her Brexit sub committee only last week "would be unacceptable in its current form". This isn't a surprise, but the reasoning is a bombshell. The so-called backstop only applied to Northern Ireland because of its unique circumstances but also only covered that section of EU law necessary for the Good Friday Agreement to be preserved.

EU TO REJECT UK's LATEST CUSTOMS PLAN?

The Telegraph are now saying (HERE) the EU could reject Britain's latest customs proposal, the so called time limited goods agreement. I don't believe there is any "could" about it, they almost certainly will. The reason given is that apparently the backstop clause agreed last December only applied to Northern Ireland and not to the whole UK. This was because regulatory alignment was only to apply to the six areas covered by the Good Friday Agreement and not the entire acquis. 

OUT WITH THE OLD IN WITH THE NEW

Last week the PM wrote an article for the Sunday Times that you can read (HERE). It is heavy on wishful thinking and repetition of the old campaign mantra of taking back control of our money, our borders and our laws. She told us she had proposed different options for new customs arrangements with the EU. This week we learn she has ditched both options in favour of a new one - or is it two? A week is a long time in politics.

GOVE - DOING THINGS AT PACE

On Sunday, Gove said (HERE) he would not back any delay to the UK leaving the customs union beyond the transition period to allow new border technology to be developed. “In delay there lies no plenty,” he said. “The critical thing is to meet that deadline. My experience in government reinforces my belief that we need to make sure we deliver things at pace".

REALITY COMES INTO VIEW

The Telegraph (HERE), The Daily Express (HERE) and, so I believe also The Daily Mail, are beginning to panic. The Express thinks, "It is time for ministers to stop over-thinking Brexit and instead take the practical steps necessary to make it work in the nation's best interests". Even for the newspaper that has cheered Brexit like an over-excited Millwall fan, this is quite something. Over-thinking Brexit? Really? What on earth's going on at The Express? Don't they read other newspapers?