Plans ramped up for no-deal Brexit
THERESA MAY’S Cabinet has agreed to ramp up preparations for a no-deal Brexit.
Ministers agreed to activate all of the Government’s no-deal plans in the hope of preparing the country for the possibility that the UK will crash out without agreement on March 29 – 100 days from today.
They urged businesses to consider implementing their own contingency plans and said households should also make preparations.
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson told the House of Commons that some 3,500 troops will be “held at readiness” to help with a no-deal Brexit.
And HM Revenue and Customs will provide an updated 100-plus page online advice pack for businesses on possible changes at borders, with emails due to go out later this week to 80,000 of those most likely to be affected.
Advice is to be issued to private individuals through online websites, adverts and direct communications over the coming weeks on actions which they should take. Areas covered are expected to include bank card payments in the EU and travelling to the continent with pets.
Asked whether families should feel able to go ahead with plans to travel to Europe for the Easter holidays, which fall just after the expected date of Brexit, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “I’m not aware of any reason they shouldn’t do that.”
Downing Street stressed that it remains the Government’s “top priority” to deliver Brexit under the terms of the deal struck by Mrs May with Brussels.
Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay warned that unless MPS back Mrs May’s deal when it returns to the Commons in January the default option is for the UK to leave without any exit arrangement in place.
In a direct plea to the UK’S company bosses, he said that preparing for no-deal needed to be “much more of a priority for businesses up and down the country”.
With exactly 100 days to go to the scheduled date of Brexit, leading voices on both sides of the debate have warned of crisis unless the correct path is found through the current uncertainty.
Conservative MP Steve Baker warned that Mrs May’s Government would fall if it tried to halt or delay Brexit, or called a second referendum, which required an extension of the two-year Article 50 process of negotiating withdrawal.
But Labour’s David Lammy said the PM was heading for “disaster” from which neither she nor her party would recover if she tried to dodge growing pressure for a “People’s Vote”, and allowed the clock to run down to a no-deal Brexit on March 29 2019.
Their comments came as campaigners released new analysis of polling which they said showed support for a second referendum in every part of the country – including the constituencies of the PM and leading Brexiteer Boris Johnson.
Best for Britain said its data suggested support for remaining in the EU was running as high as 56% against 44% for leaving.