Britain to put troops on stand-by

THOUSANDS of British troops are to be put on standby to help with potential disruption from a no-deal Brexit.

UK defence secretary Gavin Williamson’s announcement that 3,500 regular soldiers and reservists will be ‘held at readiness’ came as the British cabinet agreed to ramp up preparations for the UK crashing out of the European Union.

With just 101 days to go to the scheduled date of Brexit on March 29, businesses were urged to consider implementing their own contingency plans and households ‘should also make preparations’.

Prime minister Theresa May was accused by Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable of ‘psychological warfare’ in a bid to persuade MPs to support her Brexit deal when it returns to Parliament in January.

A 100-page information pack telling businesses of possible changes to the way they trade with EU states will go live online on Friday – with 80,000 emails going out to firms thought likely to be most affected. And advice to private individuals will be issued over the coming weeks through adverts, websites and direct communications. Areas expected to be covered include bank card payments in the EU and travelling to the continent with pets.

Asked whether families should feel able to go ahead with plans to travel to Europe for the Easter holidays, the prime minister’s spokesman said: ‘I’m not aware of any reason they shouldn’t do that.’

Around £2billion [€2.2billion] has already been allocated for spending by Whitehall departments for Brexit preparations, and chancellor Philip Hammond is expected to announce ‘shortly’ how a further £2billion will be shared out.

Mr Williamson told the House of Commons that no formal request had yet come in from government departments to make use of the 3,500 troops being ‘held at readiness’.