UK set to double funds for aftermath of a no-deal Brexit
The British government yesterday met to discuss allocating more funds for a no-deal Brexit as division over Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement continues.
Ministers were expected to decide how an extra £2 billion (Dh9.29bn) in funding would be divided between departments if Britain crashed out of EU on March 29 next year without a deal.
The figure adds to the £1.5bn allotted to contingency plans for disruption as trade and travel barriers go up.
Mrs May delayed a parliamentary vote on her Brexit deal until the week of January 14 when it became clear it would fail to win a majority.
On Monday, she acknowledged the threat of leaving the EU without a deal.
“Disruption will take place in a no-deal in the short term,” Mrs May said. “We want to take every step we can to mitigate that.”
Communities Minister James Brokenshire yesterday said the government did not want to see a no-deal Brexit but it was “right and proper” to prepare.
Health Minister Matthew Hancock said his department was preparing to stockpile six weeks’ worth of medicine for the country’s National Health Service if the no-deal became a reality.
Mr Hancock told the BBC that he had become “the largest buyer of fridges in the world”.
Meanwhile, the opposition tabled a notice of no confidence in Mrs May, saying she was deliberately wasting time by putting off the vote.
The move led by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is largely symbolic and the motion will not be granted a parliamentary debate this year, Downing Street sources said.
The pro-Brexit wing of Mrs May’s Conservative party, which last week triggered a vote of no confidence in her leadership, said they would stand by her if Mr Corbyn pushed for such a vote against the government. That motion would have to be voted on in parliament.
Jacob Rees-Mogg, leader of the European Reform Group and one of the 117 Conservative MPs to vote against the prime minister last week, said he would support Mrs May.
Senior ministers including Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt are warming to the idea of a no-deal exit if parliament rejects the agreement with Brussels. They believe they can secure a two-year transition period before exiting without an agreement, The Telegraph reported.
But Brussels has ruled out mini deals with the UK to avoid the economic harm of a hard Brexit. Senior EU official Guy Verhofstadt warned British ministers yesterday that there was “no such thing” as a managed no deal.
Work and Pensions Minister Amber Rudd, a Remain voter, told the Cabinet: “Just because you’ve put a seatbelt on, it doesn’t mean you should crash the car.”