Number 10 lobby briefing on Brexit ‘no deal’ plans and northern rail chaos
2 min read
Here is a summary of this morning's briefing for lobby journalists by the Prime Minister's official spokesman.
NO DEAL
Number Ten today hit back at reports that the army could be mobilised in the event of a ‘no deal’ Brexit.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister insisted that the armed forces were not on standby to dish out vital supplies if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
He said: “One thing it might be helpful to put to bed is that there are no plans to involve the army in this…
“There are no plans to involve the army in a ‘no deal’ scenario.
“I can’t be any clearer or firmer than that. I don’t know where the speculation came from but there are no plans.”
The spokesman confirmed that a series of technical notices setting out the Government’s ‘no deal’ Brexit preparations would be released in August and September.
He added: “We remain confident of securing a good deal as I said it is firmly in the interests of both the UK and the EU. What these notices are about are making sensible preparations, so that if we do end up in the unlikely scenario of no deal we can implement that in an orderly way.
“I would say this about good planning and taking sensible precautions and absolutely nothing else.
The spokesman also rejected claims, reported in the Times, that the European Court of Justice will have the final say in key legal disputes around Brexit, saying he didn’t “recognise that”.
“We set out our position in December in relation to these matters and that remains the case,” he said. “Obviously, there is an ongoing negotiation.”
Responding to suggestions that the food industry had not yet been consulted over ‘no deal’ Brexit plans, he said: “There have been discussions with all sectors of business since the Brexit process began.”
RAIL CHAOS
Number Ten accepted that more needed to be done to address rail chaos in the north of England, following months of delays and cancellations.
Theresa May’s spokesman said: “We understand the anger and frustration of rail passengers in the north of England.
“While progress has been made to improve services for northern passengers, the disruption they’ve experienced has been unacceptable and we must continue to see further significant improvements.”
Asked if rail services could be improved if the Prime Minister fired Chris Grayling, the spokesman insisted Mrs May had “full confidence” in the Transport Secretary.
