Government documents reveal UK faces food, fuel and drugs shortages in event of no-deal Brexit

Anti-Brexit placards stand outside the Houses of Parliament as Brexit negotiations continue. Picture: PA/EMPICS Entertainment/Isabel Infantes - Credit: EMPICS Entertainment

Leaked official government documents reveal the UK faces a shortage of fuel, food and medicine if it leaves the European Union without a deal, jamming ports and requiring a hard border in Ireland.

The leaked documents were compiled by the Cabinet Office and look at the most likely aftershocks after a No-Deal Brexit, and have been revealed by the Sunday Times.

The documents claim up to 85% of trucks using the main channel crossings “may not be ready” for French customs, meaning disruption could last at least three months.

The newspaper also reports that the government believes a hard border between the British province of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will be likely as current plans to avoid widespread checks will prove unsustainable.

“Compiled this month by the Cabinet Office under the codename Operation Yellowhammer, the dossier offers a rare glimpse into the covert planning being carried out by the government to avert a catastrophic collapse in the nation’s infrastructure,” the newspaper writes.

“The file, marked “official-sensitive” — requiring security clearance on a “need to know” basis — is remarkable because it gives the most comprehensive assessment of the UK’s readiness for a no-deal Brexit.”

Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesperson Tom Brake said: “Operation Yellowhammer reveals the truth of a No-Deal Brexit. It would have wartime implications, in peacetime, all of them self-inflicted.

“People will be horrified that Boris Johnson and the Conservatives are willing to pursue a plan that will lead to shortages of medicines, food and fuel. This is a far cry from the promises Boris Johnson made in the referendum campaign.

“Brexit has become a national humiliation. It is time to put an end to this chaos, recall parliament, remove the threat of crashing out with No Deal and secure a People’s Vote with the option to remain, so we can stop Brexit altogether.”

Boris Johnson has vowed to leave the European Union on October 31st with or without a deal, and is set to tell Angela Markel and Emmanuel Macron that MPs cannot stop a No-Deal Brexit.