Britain’s Freight Transport Association (FTA) says its “door remains open” to help the UK government develop a trading solution for the island of Ireland as the Brexit date of 31 October looms.

UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson wrote to European Commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker this week to outline his proposal for a deal between Brussels and London, although reaction so far has been reportedly luke-warm.

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In the letter, Johnson suggested an: “All-island regulatory zone on the island of Ireland, covering all goods including agrifood. 

“For as long as it exits this zone would eliminate all regulatory checks for trade in goods between Northern Ireland and Ireland by ensuring that goods regulations in Northern Ireland are the same as those in the rest of the EU.”

The FTA notes it is backing a deal to minimise any disruption across borders, adding it is continuing to advise the government on how the logistics industry can help whatever potential solution is found.

“FTA has offered to help the government develop and implement an effective solution for trade on the island of Ireland and, while this offer has yet to be taken up, our door remains open,” said FTA deputy CEO, James Hookham.

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“However, with no certainty these new proposals will lead to a deal, we continue to urge our members to prepare as fully as possible, given the time available, for a No Deal exit from the EU.

“With only three weeks to go, a number of important questions and clarifications on our No Deal readiness dashboard remain unanswered and we urge government to resolve and mitigate the significant risks to trade still posed by a No Deal exit from the EU on 31 October.”