Theresa May is to prepare a series of weekly public warnings about the impact on British lives of a no-deal Brexit, it was claimed last night.
Consumers and companies will be given detailed advice in weekly ‘bundles’ from the start of next week on how to prepare for ‘a disorderly Brexit’, under government plans, the Times reported.
Ministers have so far refused to expand on a commitment to release 70 technical notices on ‘no-deal’ contingencies after the Chequers agreement on the next stage in negotiations with Brussels.
In a clear sign that plans are accelerating to cover the negotiations collapsing, the Prime Minister said the technical notices would tell firms and individuals what to do ‘in the event of a no-deal scenario’.
Her comments came as International Trade Secretary Liam Fox warned EU leaders of the catastrophic economic consequences of failing to reach an agreement.
Theresa May says the EU has seen the ‘strength of our position’ on Brexit as she is grilled on her plans by MPs this week
International Trade Secretary Liam Fox speaking at the Royal Society in London where he set out UK´s top targets for trade deals
Mrs May told the Commons Liaison Committee: ‘The Secretary of State for Exiting the EU will be setting out today that over August and September we’re going to be releasing a number of technical notifications to set out what citizens and business need to do in the event of a no-deal scenario, making more public awareness of the preparations.
‘We imagine there are going to be around 70 of those notices.’
Earlier this week, Dr Fox spelled out the risks of no deal for the EU’s economic output, saying Ireland’s could collapse by 8 per cent – the equivalent of tens of billions of pounds.
Other countries with close economic ties to the UK would also be hit, including the Netherlands, which faces a 4 per cent fall in output, and Belgium on 3.5 per cent.
Dr Fox said that after the Chequers agreement almost two weeks ago, when the Cabinet agreed to Mrs May’s controversial Brexit strategy, the onus was on the EU to compromise, adding: ‘We have made an offer to the EU27. The ball is now in their court.
‘We think that’s a fair and reasonable deal and they have to understand what no deal might mean as a consequence to their economies.’
Aiming his remarks at EU officials, he said what was needed was a ‘people’s Brexit, not a bureaucrats’ Brexit’, in which the prosperity of citizens was placed above the ‘abstract ideology of the Brussels bureaucrats’.
Up to 250,000 small businesses that export to the EU but no further will be asked to start plans to make customs declarations for the first time as part of the government’s information campaign.
The warnings will urge them to start planning at the point ‘we think a no-deal is likely’, cabinet secretary Sir Mark Sedwill said.
Boris Johnson exploded back into the political fray as the Prime Minister struggles to contain open warfare in the Tory party
Senior civil servant John Manzoni said yesterday ministers would need to balance the risk of causing unnecessary public alarm and causing unnecessary expenditure with the need to offer prudent and timely advice.
‘There needs to be a narrative to say, “Actually we don’t want this to happen but we have to prepare just in case it does and here are all the things that we have to do”,’ he said.
Diplomats are also preparing themselves for Britain to request an extension to Article 50 of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty – which allows members states to leave – to set a new withdrawal date and allow more time for negotiations.