| What's Happening? Doubts emerge inside the U.K. government about its post-Brexit border plans. One 7of the biggest Brexit headaches facing the British government is the border between the U.K and European Union. Will companies be ready for new new red tape afer Dec. 31? Will trade flow smoothly between Dover and Calais? Will new IT systems be built in time to make it all work? It's starting to rattle senior figures in the Conservative Party. Liz Truss, the U.K.'s international trade secretary, who supported remaining in the EU but now advocates Brexit with the zeal of a convert, this week wrote a letter, leaked to Business Insider, detailing various worries about her own government's post-Brexit border plans.  Lorries at the Port of Dover. Photographer: Jason Alden/Bloomberg Truss raises the prospect of smuggling from the EU, because the U.K. will not be imposing full customs controls on EU imports for the first six months of 2021. She also discusses the risk of a legal challenge at the World Trade Organization, because the U.K. would be offering preferential treatment to the EU that discriminates against the rest of the world. The letter reads like a strong case for extending the Brexit transition period, to give all parties more time to get ready. But Truss and the British government have consistently ruled out the prospect, deeming it 'crazy'. The U.K. will set out its so-called border operating model in full next week. "Preparations for the end of the transition period and the introduction of new border controls are well under way," Downing Street spokesman James Slack said on Thursday, when asked about Truss's letter and the risk of legal challenge. "Our approach is WTO-compliant." — Joe Mayes Beyond Brexit Sign up here for our daily coronavirus newsletter, and subscribe to our Covid-19 podcast.  Click here for the latest maps and data on the spread of coronavirus. Want to keep up with Brexit? You can follow us @Brexit on Twitter, and listen to Bloomberg Westminster every weekday. Share the Brexit Bulletin: Colleagues, friends and family can sign up here. For full EU coverage, try the Brussels Edition. For even more: Subscribe to Bloomberg All Access for our unmatched global news coverage. | 
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