Brexit: 'Safe operation' of Channel Tunnel in doubt from January, MPs warn

MPs have raised fears about the “safe operation of the Channel Tunnel” from January, accusing the government of failing to make preparations.

France and the UK were expected to negotiate changes needed because of Brexit – but ministers have yet to put forward a new safety framework, they say.

If a deal is not struck by the end of the transition period, in little more than three months’ time, the legal status of a treaty dating back to 1986 is uncertain.

This will raise “concerns about the safe operation of the Tunnel after 31 December given that most EU law will no longer apply in the UK”, the report by the Commons European Scrutiny Committee warns

If there are disputes, “France will be able to take unilateral action to regain control of its section of the Tunnel”, it suggests.