Brexit border chaos will cause huge delays and cost £1bn a year, says report

Analysis from economic consultancy Oxera says cost to UK of new customs checks and ensuing delays could amount to more than 1bn a year

Britain will be hit by huge border delays, require vast lorry parks in the south-east, and suffer more than 1bn a year in economic damage, according to a stark economic analysis of the likely impact of customs checks after Brexit.

Additional costs associated with potential motorway queues, extra customs staff and jobs lost as a result of companies relocating mean even that assessment is "extremely conservative", a study by a leading economic consultancy warns.

The border is a tax point, not a search point - with digital borders, customs clearance can be managed very quickly.