Whitehall Leak Shows UK May Face Fuel, Medicine Shortages In Wake Of No-Deal - Reports

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th August, 2019) The UK government expects that the country may face food, fuel and medicine shortages as well as months of border delays and a rise in social care costs in the event of a no-deal Brexit, The Sunday Times reported on Sunday, citing leaked Whitehall papers.

In addition, the report predicts the return of a hard border in Ireland, fearing that it could lead to protests and road blockages.

Months of expected delays at other borders with the European Union, meanwhile, may leave London and the southeast of England without stable fuel supply. Dwelling on potential chaos on external borders, the government estimates that up to 85 percent of lorries crossing the Channel may face delays of up to two and a half days at the French customs.

Such disruption at ports may be in place for up to three months before the traffic flow returns to 50-70 percent of the current level, according to the papers.

Among other ramifications are extended delays to supplies of fresh food and medicine, some 75 percent of which comes via the Channel.

Finally, the no-deal will shoot up costs in the social care sector, affecting both smaller and larger providers.

According to the newspaper, the report was written by the cabinet earlier in August under the codename Operation Yellowhammer.

The document reportedly outlines the most likely ramifications of the country crashing out of the bloc without an agreement rather than some hypothetical worst-case scenario.

"This is not Project Fear � this is the most realistic assessment of what the public face with no deal. These are likely, basic, reasonable scenarios � not the worst case," a senior source in the government told the newspaper.

Reacting to the publication, Michael Gove, who was appointed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson as minister in charge of no-deal preparations, however, said otherwise.

"We don't normally comment on leaks - but a few facts - Yellowhammer is a worst case scenario - v significant steps have been taken in the last 3 weeks to accelerate Brexit planning," Gove wrote on Twitter.

The UK government announced that it had started stockpiling food, fuel and other stuff to prepare for a no-deal scenario back in January. The possibility of the country leaving the bloc without a deal, however, became much more likely with Johnson's arrival at Downing Street. The prime minister vows to deliver Brexit by the October 31 deadline without "ifs and buts."