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Fact check: How realistic is a bespoke EU-UK customs union?

Brexit is back making headlines in the UK after the Liberal Democrats received support for creating a bespoke customs union. Where does the UK currently stand, and what benefits would such an agreement bring?

READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/12/12/fact-check-how-realistic-is-a-bespoke-eu-uk-customs-union

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00:00How realistic is a bespoke EU-UK customs union?
00:08Brexit is back and once again the EU's trading relationship with the UK is making headlines.
00:14On the 9th of December, more than 100 UK parliament members backed a bill calling on the government
00:19to begin negotiations on a bespoke customs union with the bloc.
00:23But to become a law, the bill would need government backing.
00:26British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been working to strengthen ties with the EU but
00:30has ruled out re-entering a customs union.
00:34He claims it could unravel trade deals the UK has already made with other countries such
00:38as the US.
00:40The UK exited the EU's customs union along with a single market at the end of 2020, more
00:45than four years on from the Brexit referendum in 2016.
00:49The EU and UK have since implemented a series of preferential trade agreements.
00:54This means neither side imposes tariffs on the other but regulatory and customs checks
00:59remain in place.
01:00Now it's still unclear what kind of settlement the Liberal Democrats would back but the example
01:04of Turkey's agreement with the EU has been floated.
01:08We spoke to Liberal Democrats MP Al Pinkerton who tabled the bill.
01:12The Liberal Democrats are the third largest party in parliament but our parliament occasionally
01:17gives us a mechanism to try and spark a debate.
01:21So what I did with my 10-minute rule bill was I struck a match and it's cast a little bit
01:26of light and it shed a little bit of heat.
01:28But the truth is that will only go anywhere if something else catches light as a consequence.
01:35The Liberal Democrats claim their proposal will boost the UK economy by £25 billion in extra
01:40tax revenue which is roughly €28.5 billion.
01:44But they acknowledge that this number is approximate.
01:47Economists are unclear about how much a bespoke customs union would benefit the EU.
01:52Meanwhile the European Commission declined to comment.
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