London mayor Khan consults disaster planners over no deal

LONDON’S mayor Sadiq Khan has asked the organisation that deals with militant attacks and disasters in the British capital to assess the impact of a no-deal Brexit on access to medicines and food and on law and order.

Khan, pictured, said he would consult the London Resilience Forum, which plans responses to disasters such as the Grenfell Tower fire, about the implications for Britain of leaving without a deal, saying that such a “catastrophic” outcome looked more likely than ever.

Britain is due to leave the EU in March 2019, and with time running out to secure agreement on future ties, both British and European politicians are warning of the increased chances of a no-deal Brexit.

Khan criticised the lack of engagement by the UK government with companies. The government will start sending out advice to firms about a ‘nodeal’ scenario in August and September.

“Even ministers now admit that crashing out of the EU with no deal is now more likely than ever,” Khan said in a statement. “We are now left with no choice but to plan for a no-deal scenario.”

Meanwhile Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt told ITV News in an interview that leaving the EU in a “messy, ugly divorce” would be a mistake that Britain would “regret for generations”, although he tweeted last Friday to clarify that he believed Britain would “survive and prosper without a deal”.