EU finance commissioner Pierre Moscovici: 'If there is a no deal Brexit the UK will become a third country from one day to the next. This will be an immediate legal change by definition, a radical one and obviously a very substantial one for the UK, our MS and our businesses.'

Moscovici: 'If there’s a no deal scenario new customs controls will have to be introduced. At the moment these goods move without any customs formalities or checks. There will be full application of the customs code as soon as the UK leaves - this is a firm and clear line.'

Moscovici says customs checks on goods travelling between UK and EU will be 'on the basis of a risk analysis'. But he warns: 'I’d prefer rigorous checks and a few tailbacks of lorries rather than a health crisis or the risk of trafficking.'