European Views | In the first weeks of the United Kingdom’s official departure from the European Union, one of the most significant moves made by Boris Johnson’s government has been the launch of a “freeport” plan masterminded by Johnson’s handpicked Chancellor Rishi Sunak. Downing Street claims that its decision to create “up to ten new innovative Freeports” – special trade zones where goods can transit or be stored without having to pay taxes or customs – means “hubs of business and enterprise will be opened across the UK.”