No Deal plan for medicines: Military ferry could be used to ship supplies to Britain as MV Hurst Point is refitted as part of contingency planning
- Roll-on, roll-off ferry MV Hurst Point will be refitted before October 31 deadline
- One of four strategic vessels on charter to the MoD to transport equipment
- Former Navy Chief Admiral Lord West said use of the ferry suggested ‘things are pretty bad’
A military vessel could be used to ship emergency medicine supplies to Britain in the event of a No Deal Brexit.
The roll-on, roll-off ferry MV Hurst Point will be refitted before the October 31 deadline as part of government contingency planning.
It is one of four strategic vessels on charter to the Ministry of Defence to transport military equipment and can be easily adapted.
The roll-on, roll-off ferry MV Hurst Point will be refitted before the October 31 deadline as part of government contingency planning
A defence source said: ‘If there is a shortage of medicines and we need to help, we can.’
The MoD confirmed the plan in response to a parliamentary question. It said the Department for Transport was ‘right to prepare for all eventualities’.
Admiral Lord West, former head of the Royal Navy, said: ‘If we are having to use roll-on, roll-off ships to bring medical supplies to the UK post-Brexit, things are pretty bad.’
Admiral Lord West, former head of the Royal Navy, said: ‘If we are having to use roll-on, roll-off ships to bring medical supplies to the UK post-Brexit, things are pretty bad’
But he added: ‘I see no problem with using naval vessels for national requirements.’
Of the 12,300 medicines licensed for use in the UK, around 7,000 come to Britain either from or through the EU, with the vast majority being shipped across the Channel.
According to the Government’s ‘reasonable worst case’ scenario, the flow of goods could be cut by 40 per cent on the first day of a No Deal Brexit. This would take a year to recover to something close to current levels.