9 ways No Deal Brexit will cause chaos according to Operation Yellowhammer leak
Leaked No-deal Brexit planning documents from Operation Yellowhammer warn of the likely impact on the UK - not the worst case scenario, and have been likened to 'wartime' in peacetime by the Lib Dems
Anti-Brexit campaigners today claimed fresh warnings over the risks of a no-deal exit showed the “wartime” impact it would have on the UK.
Britain faces shortages of fuel, food and medicine, a three-month meltdown at ports, a hard border with Ireland and rising costs in social care under a no-deal Brexit , official files warn. The Operation Yellowhammer briefing outlines the most likely impacts of leaving without a pact rather than the worst-case scenario.
It came as the Tories’ Brexit civil war deepened as Boris Johnson launched an unprecedented attack on MPs bidding to stop a no-deal departure.
The Prime Minister claimed it was “as plain as a pikestaff that Brussels - or the EU 27 - will simply not compromise as long as they believe there is the faintest possibility that Parliament can block Brexit on 31 October”.
Reports today highlighted latest Whitehall warnings of the possible consequences on various sectors of leaving the EU without a deal.
9 stark warnings on a No Deal Brexit in leaked Operation Yellowhammer documents
1. Fuel - Petrol supplies could be disrupted, two oil refineries could shut and 2,00 workers could lose their jobs.
2. Northern Ireland - Avoiding a hard border is likely to be “unsustainable” with a new frontier all but inevitable.
3. Gibraltar - 15,000 workers who cross the border from Spain every day face delays of more than four hours “at least for a few months”.
4. Ports - Up to 85% of lorries using Channel ports may not be ready for French customs checks.
5. Food - Some supplies of fresh food will fall with hundreds of thousands of customers affected by water supplies.
6. Drugs - Vital medicines could rot on unrefrigerated lorries stuck at ports, with disruption lasting up to six months.
7. Border- Passengers travelling to and from the EU could be subject to more immigration checks.
8. Fishing - Nearly 300 foreign boats could be illegally fishing in UK waters, risking clashes at sea.
9. Care - The “fragile” care industry could be hit by rising inflation and small operators could collapse within three months.
Lib Dem Brexit spokesman Tom Brake said: “Operation Yellowhammer reveals the truth of a no-deal Brexit.
Tom Brake believed no-deal would have "wartime" implications (Image: PA)
“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.
