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<p>The UK and EU have agreed to consider a joint work stream to develop alternative
arrangements, including the use of technology, to ensure the absence of a hard border,
and this work will form an important strand of the next phase of negotiations. Our
aim is to ensure that, even if the full future relationship is not in place by the
end of the implementation period, the backstop is not needed, because we will have
a set of alternative arrangements ready to go. We have secured a legally binding commitment
that both sides will aim to replace the backstop with alternative arrangements by
December 2020 - and that they do not need to replicate the backstop in any respect.</p><p>Last
week, the Government published a Written Ministerial Statement noting that joint UK-EU
work on alternative arrangements will be an important strand of the next phase of
negotiations. In anticipation of this, and to ensure that the UK is ready to move
at pace in the next phase, the Government is putting in place the UK’s arrangements
to support this work, with a team drawing in all the relevant departments including
DExEU, HMT, HMRC, BEIS, DEFRA, Home Office, and the NIO. This will report directly
to the UK’s negotiating team.</p><p><strong> </strong></p>
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