I read recently that the British International Freight Association (BIFA) had expressed its surprise at a report in The Times claiming that the government intended investing £8 million in customs training and automation to support extra demand for customs brokerage services should the UK leave the EU without a deal next March.

Robert Green is the Director General of BIFA and said that given the importance of the work the organisation does he was surprised to learn of the government’s plans through a newspaper report rather than through an official announcement.

Talking to website UKHaulier, he said “BIFA has had many meetings with both HM Treasury and HMRC in which we highlighted our concerns regarding the capability of the Customs brokerage sector to increase capacity. We have explained that the sector already faces a massive shortage of staff of suitable quality.

“We have emphasised that it could take up to a year to train staff to be fully conversant to prepare a range of basic Customs declarations, even if there was a sufficient number of trainers to train those staff, as well as relevant courses for them to attend.”

He was clearly annoyed that the government now seems to be changing the ground rules. “Assuming that the article in the Times is accurate, we now need the government to provide us with much greater detail on the nature of this investment. How to access the funding. How long the funding will be available. What it will cover. Who qualifies.”

And Keen was quite clear in his conclusion. “To see the latest news about government plans for Customs revealed through the columns of a national newspaper, just adds insult to injury.”