London: Preparedness in Britain for a no-deal Brexit remains “at a low level”, with logjams at Channel ports threatening to impact drug and food supplies, according to government assessments released Wednesday.
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MPs voted last week to force the government to publish the no-deal “Operation Yellowhammer” document, which also warns of “public disorder” in such a scenario.
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Britain’s plan for no checks at the Irish border would likely “prove unsustainable due to significant economic, legal and biosecurity risks”, it said, adding that it could lead to a black market developing in border communities, with dissident groups expected to capitalise.
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The government stressed that it was “updating the assumptions” in the document, and that it was “neither an impact assessment, nor a prediction of what is most likely to happen.
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“It describes what could occur in a reasonable worst case scenario,” wrote minister Michael Gove.
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But the warnings increase the pressure on Boris Johnson’s embattled government, which has vowed to leave the EU on October 31, with or without a deal.
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A Scottish court delivered him a blow earlier in the day, ruling that his controversial decision to suspend parliament in the run-up to Brexit was unlawful.
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MPs also demanded to see private communications between government staff over the move to suspend parliament, but the request was rejected.
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“The motion appears to direct the government to carry out searches that could only be discharged by breaching the legal framework set by parliament itself,” wrote Gove.
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The government said the request contravened the Investigatory Powers Act, the European Convention on Human rights and the Data Protection Act.
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The Yellowhammer documents, which date from August 2, warned that up to 85 percent of British lorries may not be ready for French customs checks in the event of a no deal, reducing the “flow rate to 40-60 percent of current levels.”
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The worst disruption could last for three months, it added.
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If unmitigated, “this will have an impact on the supply of medicines and medical supplies.
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“Whilst some products can be stockpiled, others cannot due to short shelf lives.”
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It warned that “public and business readiness …will remain at a low level… because of the absence of a clear decision on the form of EU exit.”
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Gibraltar could be particularly badly affected, it said, due to the imposition of checks at its border with Spain.
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Disputes could also flare up in fishing waters, with non-British vessels still active in British waters, while “there may also be a rise in public disorder and community tensions,” said the assessment.
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