UK spent at least £100m on Brexit border inspection posts that were never used

Summary

The UK wasted at least £100m of taxpayers' money setting up Brexit border inspection posts that were never used, according to a report. Five of the seven facilities in England and Wales never reached operational stage, as the Conservative government vacillated over plans to check goods. The report also notes that the National Audit Office estimated the overall cost of Brexit at £4.7bn last year, but that figure included a years-long transformation of the software used for customs declarations and other systems built to cope with the UK leaving the single market.

Timeline

1. The Guardian

   8 Nov 2026, 13:32 UTCSource ↗

   The Guardian reports that the UK wasted at least £100m of taxpayers' money on zombie Brexit border inspection posts, five of seven facilities in England and Wales never reached operational stage as Tories vacillated over plans to check goods.