Labour faced fresh criticism over Brexit after the Business Secretary said the UK could join a Europe-wide customs scheme. Jonathan Reynolds insisted becoming part of the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Convention (PEM) would not cross Sir Keir Starmer 's "red lines".

A top Brussels bureaucrat has claimed the EU should “consider” letting the UK join a tariff-free customs scheme. However, given Sir Keir Starmer’s red lines on the Single Market and Customs Union, the EU’s new trade chief Maros Sefcovic stresseed such an agreement would represent membership of the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Convention (PEM).

EU could consider UK joining pan-Europe customs deal, says Sefcovic - Maros Sefcovic said the UK joining the Pan-Euro-Mediterranean Convention is ‘something we could consider’.

Maros Sefcovic also said relations with the UK were "improving", and said he had the number of British counterpart Nick Thomas-Symonds "on speed dial".