"The government hoped a single trade window (STW) would simplify border processes after Brexit by creating a single digital platform in which importers and exporters could upload all documentation linked to goods before they are transported. However, the STW project was paused in 2024 amid concerns over the cost of implementing the scheme. Government responses to freedom of information requests, submitted by the thinktank TaxWatch and seen by the Financial Times, now suggest no money has been spent on the project since January last year, with the Treasury writing that the programme had been brought to an early closure."
"The TaxWatch director, Mike Lewis, told the FT: For all intents and purposes the single trade window has been cancelled without HMRC or Deloitte and IBM having delivered anything after spending over 110m on it. But neither HMRC nor ministers appear to wish to admit this. The government said while the delivery of the STW had been paused for the 2025-26 financial year, policy development continued. There is still, however, no definitive timeframe for its implementation."
UK government has shelved the Single Trade Window (STW) project to simplify post-Brexit border processes after spending 110m on a contract with Deloitte and IBM. The STW aimed to create a single digital platform for importers and exporters to upload documentation before transport. The STW was paused in 2024 amid cost concerns and no money has been spent since January last year, with the Treasury stating the programme had been brought to an early closure. The National Audit Office estimated at least 4.7bn spent on post-Brexit border controls in 2024. The government says policy development continues but offers no definitive implementation timetable.
#single-trade-window #post-brexit-border-controls #government-procurement-costs #freedom-of-information
Read at www.theguardian.com
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