Ministry of Justice handed £17m for no deal disaster planning

The Ministry of Justice has been handed more than £17m to prepare for the disaster of Britain crashing out of the EU without a deal, it has emerged.

Justice Minister Lucy Frazer revealed that the Treasury had freed up the funds – slightly more than Southampton have just paid for Basel midfielder Mohamed Elyounoussi – to ensure the MoJ “are ready for” a no deal.

The revelation came after a question in the Commons from Tory backbencher William Wragg.

The Brexiteer asked: “Following the Chequers statement, I wonder if the Lord Chancellor would lay before the House details of what active provisions his department is making for a deal not being secured with the European Union?”

Ms Frazer responded: “We are very much, in the Ministry of Justice, working to ensure that we get the best and the right deal for our country going forward.

“Like all competent government departments, we are also working to ensure that if there is no deal we are ready for it.

“We have £17.3m extra from the Treasury to look into and ensure that we have the right Brexit scenario.”

Labour MP Virendra Sharma MP, a champion of the anti-Brexit campaign group Best for Britain, said it showed the government’s confidence in “the fragile Chequers proposal”.

He said: “First David Davis and Boris Johnson abandoned it; now it looks like even Theresa May thinks it’s a stinker.

“A no deal scenario would cause irreparable harm to the UK economy, killing off job growth and business interest in this country.

“It’s time politicians woke up to the bespoke deal we’ve been building with the EU over the last 40 years. We need a people’s vote with the option to stay in the EU and prevent Brexit ruin.”