Leaked memo warns of ‘no-deal Brexit’ fallout
An increasingly likely “nodeal” Brexit could wreak farreaching havoc on Britain’s economy, infrastructure and social fabric, according to classified government documents leaked to a British paper.
Food and social-care prices would rise, while medical supplies could face severe delays given the fact that most of the Britain’s medicines come through English Channel crossings, the Sunday Times says the documents indicate.
Border delays would interrupt fuel supplies. Ports would only partially recover after three months of severe disruptions, leaving traffic at 50 to 70% of the current flow.
Those are a few of the impacts predicted by “Operation Yellowhammer,” which the Londonbased paper says was compiled this month by Britain’s Cabinet Office and available to those with security clearances on a “need to know” basis.
The leak comes as Brexit critics warn that crashing out of the European Union without an agreement will damage the British economy, devalue its currency and create instability. British leaders have sought unsuccessfully since the divisive 2016 Brexit vote to negotiate and pass a “divorce” plan.
Newly elected Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a leading voice in the Brexit movement, has promised to get his country out of the E.U. — deal or no deal — within his first 100 days in office and said a redo of the 2016 independence vote would undercut public faith in the country’s democracy.
The Yellowhammer documents provide a sobering view of what Johnson’s plan could mean for Britain.
According to the Times, they predict the need to restore a “hard border” with limited, controlled crossing points in Ireland, which could cause protests and block roads. Johnson has maintained that a “can-do spirit” can help avert such a change. But the Yellowhammer findings anticipate that measures to avoid a hard border will probably “prove unsustainable.”
The documents say tariffs on petrol imports could close two oil refineries, cause the loss of 2,000 jobs and further disrupt fuel supplies. The litany of anticipated impacts also includes delays at airports and protests around the country that would suck up police resources.