Gove admits Defra facing huge Brexit challenges

Environment Secretary Michael Gove has admitted UK government environment agency Defra may have to employ thousands of extra workers to cope with Brexit-related demands.

In a letter to the Westminster environmental audit committee, (EAC) Gove stated that additional work streams will have to be created following MPS expressing concerns that the scale of the Brexit task would leave key departments overwhelmed.

Back in December, the National Audit Office predicted Defra would have to deal with 43 work streams and this would require 1,200 additional staff.

Now, in his letter to MPS, Gove states he expects Brexit to generate 70 workstreams requiring dedicated professionals within Defra, thus prompting fears amongst MPS on the 0 Mary Creagh warned of complexity of Brexit EAC that Defra will struggle to hire the thousands of additional staff required.

There are also fears among the MPS that the department will face a battle to manage business, investor and public confidence in the Brexit process, particularly given the severe budget cuts faced by the department in recent years.

“This letter is the latest evidence of the growing scale and complexity of leaving the EU, which is the biggest administrative and constitutional task since the Second World War,” according to committee chair Mary Creagh MP.

She said Gove’s letter provided an update on the scale of the Brexit task for Defra, but provided few details on how the department would tackle the challenges it faces. “From chemicals to climate change, huge regulatory questions remain unanswered,” she said.

“Defra and its agencies have lost almost 5,000 staff since 2010, leaving them struggling to cope with Brexit. We have concerns about the department’s capability to deliver a growing amount of Brexitrelated work, and the cost of hiring new staff.”

Since 2008, Defra has seen its budget slashed from £3.1 billion to £1.6bn in the current year. In his November 2017 budget, the Chancellor of the Exchequer revealed it would be further reduced in 2020 to £1.5bn.