UK Recruiting Extra Staff Into Civil Service To Speed Up Brexit Preparations - Secretary

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd August, 2018) The UK authorities are recruiting additional personnel in order to speed up the government's preparations for the country's exit from the European Union and ensure the smooth operation of all the public bodies during the transition period, Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab said on Thursday.

"We are recruiting the extra staff we need across government, making sure departments have the right people with the right skills to deliver a smooth transition. There are more than 7,000 people working on Brexit. There is funding for an extra 9,000 staff to be recruited into the civil service, enabling us to accelerate government preparations as and when we need to," Raab said in his speech on no-deal Brexit.

He added that the UK authorities were enhancing the country's border forces, currently recruiting additional 300 employees. According to Raab, the government is also giving consideration to recruiting 1,000 extra staff in the future.

The United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union in June 2016, with the negotiations between the two parties expected to last until March 29, 2019. The two sides' main concerns include the scheme for future economic cooperation and the status of the UK nationals living in the European Union and vice versa. The fears of a no-deal Brexit have been mounting after EU Chief Brexit Negotiator Michel Barnier rejected some of London's trade proposals.