Secret plan for ‘Car Crash’ Brexit
DOWNING Street officials are preparing for a ‘Car Crash Brexit’ if the Prime Minister’s Chequers plan is rejected by Brussels or voted down by the Commons.
Secret ‘war games’ have been held to tackle a possible fuel crisis, vital medicines running short and power blackouts. Senior No 10 figures have warned in private briefings that they are deeply worried about Britain’s preparation for a no-deal exit.
One leading official said last week: ‘The no deal is now a real prospect. And it would be a car crash. We are talking about a number of Cobralevel crises.’ Cobra is the Government committee that meets in times of national emergencies.
Britain will leave the EU in under six months’ time and there are only ten days left to convince Brussels to accept Chequers before a key meeting of European leaders. The deal would keep large sections of manufacturing in line with European rules – while allowing the UK’s booming services i ndustry to remain independent.
The EU dismisses this as ‘cherry picking’ while Brexiteers object to continued allegiance to EU rules.
Downing Street’s concerns have been deepened by warnings from the diplomatic service that French President Emmanuel Macron is ‘deliberately engineering’ a no-deal because it would be in his country’s economic interest. The alarm in No 10 is shared in the Cabinet, with an increasingly vocal cell of Minis- ters led by Environment Secretary Michael Gove, Home Secretary Sajid Javid and I nternational Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt urging the adoption of a ‘Plan B’.
The most popular option is a freetrade agreement along the lines of the deal recently signed between Brussels and Canada.
The biggest sticking point remains Northern Ireland, which would have to implement border checks with the Republic – or down the middle of the Irish Sea – if Britain fulfils Mrs May’s promise to leave the customs union.
Last night, Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran, from anti- Brexit campaign group Best For Britain, said: ‘It’s now clear that the Prime Minister is blatantly lying when she says no deal is better than a bad deal. The list of consequences, especially for the NHS, crime and jobs, beggars believe. No one was told about this in 2016. No one voted to damage the NHS, be less secure or be poorer. That’s why we need this Government to commit to a people’s vote with the option to remain in the EU.’
However, Former MI6 boss Sir Richard Dearlove insisted the UK will still be a ‘major player in European geopolitics’ after Brexit. In an interview broadcast today on Sky’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday show, he said: ‘I’m absolutely confident we can survive and thrive.’