Government still not telling the truth about risks, says Brown

The government is “still not telling the truth” about medicine and food shortages that would result in the event of a no-deal Brexit, Gordon Brown has said.

The former prime minister argued the Operation Yellowhammer report looking at no-deal scenarios concealed the full truth about shortages to vital medicines and drugs.

Ahead of a speech in Edinburgh, Mr Brown revealed he had written to the prime minister accusing him of “dishonest claims” that underestimate the risks posed if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Mr Brown said: “The truth is that we are not taking back control but losing control – of medical supplies and food and energy prices.

“The worst-case scenario document downplays the risks to medical supplies, the threat to household budgets and the damage inflicted on the most vulnerable.

“We now know from Yellowhammer that no-deal Brexit is an unnecessary act of self-harm but ministers are still not telling the truth about the sheer scale of the self-inflicted wounds.”

In his speech, the former Labour leader is expected to go into detail about the various risks to medical supplies, as well as claiming that sharp food and fuel price rises will “wreak havoc” with family budgets and hit the poorest hardest.

The Operation Yellowhammer report was finally released on Wednesday night after the UK Government was defeated in the House of Commons and forced to release the document, albeit a heavily redacted version.

The six-page document, dated August 2, warns of disruption at channel crossings for at least three months, an increased risk of public disorder and riots on the streets, and some shortages of fresh food.