We need to be free to make new deals, says May on Midlands visit

In an exclusive interview with the Shropshire Star, the Prime Minister said the Government’s position on the issue would not change.

Labour has called for the UK to join a new customs union after Brexit, saying it would leave the current one but negotiate a treaty afterwards that would ‘do the work of the customs union’.

Mrs May, who has made leaving the customs union central to her Brexit plans, said being a member would leave Britain unable to negotiate crucial free trade deals with the rest of the world.

The Prime Minister visited the Shropshire Star’s sister paper the Express & Star at its Queen Street offices in Wolverhampton as part of a visit to the region, which also saw her stop off at Dudley firm Boss Design and meet Tory campaigners.

Mrs May said it was vital that Britain has “as frictionless border with the EU as possible” once it leaves the EU, but added: “We also want to negotiate our own free trade deals around the rest of the world. You can’t be in the customs union and have your own free trade deals.

“So we want to come out of the customs union.”

She added: “We need to find out ways that we can continue to trade across borders, and of course deliver on our commitment that there will be no hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.”

The Government is negotiating what Britain’s customs arrangement will be like post-Brexit. Parliament is set to hold a non-binding vote on the customs union on Thursday. Last week, the Government suffered defeat on the EU Withdrawal Bill in the House of Lords, when peers voted in favour of staying in.

The current system allows EU countries to apply the same taxes on imports to goods from outside the union.

It means when goods have cleared customs in one country, they can be shipped to others in the union without additional tariffs being imposed.

Supporters of the customs union say it would help to keep an open border between Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister also used her visit to the West Midlands to give a vow that work at the Midland Metropolitan Hospital woulds resume as quickly as possible.

Work on the 669-bed super hospital, which is two thirds complete and £125m over budget, has stalled since West Midlands construction giant Carillion went into liquidation in January.

The hospital, in Smethwick, would act as a regional centre of excellence, providing care for Shropshire patients with specialist needs.

The Prime Minister said: “There had already been some delays before the problems arose with Carillion, so we need to look at this carefully, and we need to ensure that we look properly at the contractual arrangements that are in place.”

Mrs May was mobbed by fans when she arrived in the West Midlands, some of whom blew her kisses and shouted: “We love you Theresa.”

At Boss Design Mrs May posed for selfies with workers.

One of them, Derek Whitehouse, travels from his home in Bridgnorth to the company factory in Dudley.

He said he would not be able to post the picture to social media until he had a break from his work.

The 47-year-old, who has worked for the firm for more than two decades, said: “She briefly asked me how long I had been here and asked me about the process of the work.”

She later toured the offices of Midlands News Association, which publishes the Shropshire Star, where she spoke to staff helping to put the newspaper together.