UK less able to cope with hard Brexit than it was in spring, say officials
Summary
The prime minister, Boris Johnson, has made Michael Gove responsible for “turbo-charging” Brexit planning, and on Thursday the new chancellor, Sajid Javid, announced an extra £2.1bn of funding to prepare for a no-deal exit. In a further blow to government attempts to downplay the possible risks of a no-deal Brexit, Sky News reported that it had obtained an official document setting out the threats to borders, the economy, security, data, Northern Ireland and individuals in the month after crashing out. It said the slide – which covers the risks on the first day, first fortnight and first month of no deal – was prepared in the final weeks of Theresa May’s government and appeared to be the first time all the worst-case scenarios had been set out in a single document. Among the problems warned about are “consumer panic and food shortages”, “law and order challenges” in Northern Ireland, operational gaps in security, market volatility and Britons in difficulty abroad returning to the UK. If we are not able to reach an agreement then we will of course have to leave the EU without a deal.” Concern about a lack of focus on preparations for a no-deal scenario emerged in early June weeks after the Whitehall teams who were engaged in the planning were disbanded.