UK 'Ireland-specific' Brexit plan meets Brussels skepticism

Sam Lowe, a trade expert with the Centre for European Reform think tank, warned that moving customs checks was not a magic solution. "You have to police businesses that don’t play by the rules. That’s still quite disruptive and risks to undermine the peace process and disrupt the all-Ireland economy," he said.

In addition to the new customs plan and the previous proposal for an all-Ireland food zone, the UK side on Wednesday also proposed an "enhanced market surveillance regime" to the EU that should avoid regulatory divergences on industrial goods.