UK spent £100m on zombie Brexit border inspection posts
Summary
HMRC information released under a freedom of information request shows that the UK spent at least £100m on inland border facilities planned after Brexit that were never used or did not operate at full capacity. The sites were built or prepared for checks on goods from the EU, but the government scaled back some checks and decommissioned several facilities.Key Facts
- The National Audit Office previously estimated the overall cost of Brexit at £4.7bn, including changes to customs software and other systems.
- Five of the seven inland border facilities in England and Wales never became operational, according to the article.
- The planned Dover-area site at Guston cost £28m for land procurement and initial ground works, but remains a field.
- Portsmouth’s border facility cost £23m and has never been used at full capacity; the government provided £17.1m, and the city council covered the shortfall.
- Birmingham’s planned facility cost £17m, including £11m to build it and £6m in closure costs.
- The Warrington site cost £17m to acquire, build and decommission, while the Ebbsfleet site cost £10m to prepare and close.
- The North Weald site near Stansted cost £5m to build and close.
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