Government has 'no plan' for Brexit, leaked memo says

The memo warned of the scale of the challenge faced by the government
PA WIRE
Robin de Peyer15 November 2016
WEST END FINAL

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The government does not have an overall plan for Brexit in part because of divisions between Cabinet ministers, a leaked memo has suggested.

More than 500 projects relating to leaving the EU are being worked on in Whitehall, meaning an extra 30,000 civil servants may need to be hired, it says.

The assessment - entitled ‘Brexit Update’ and dated November 7 - was leaked to The Times newspaper after being carried out by a consultant working for the Cabinet Office.

It said that although departments have "worst case" plans, "this falls considerably short of having a 'Government plan for Brexit'".

The memo warned that business figures are expected to "point a gun at the government's head" to ensure they get good deals after ministers reportedly gave assurances to Nissan that their business would not be hit by Brexit.

Theresa May was also mentioned in the memo for her habit of "drawing in decisions and details to settle matters herself", which it suggested would be unsustainable.

The Prime Minister has said she will invoke Article 50 - triggering the formal process of withdrawing from the EU - by the end of March.

The memo says: "Individual departments have been busily developing their projects to implement Brexit, resulting in well over 500 projects, which are beyond the capacity and capability of government to execute quickly."

It adds: "Every department has developed a ‘bottom-up’ plan of what the impact of Brexit could be — and its plan to cope with the ‘worst case’. Although necessary, this falls considerably short of having a ‘government plan for Brexit’ because it has no prioritisation and no link to the overall negotiation strategy."

The Times reported that the document also highlights splits between Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, Brexit Secretary David Davis and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox on one side and Chancellor Philip Hammond and Business Secretary Greg Clark on the other.

A Number 10 spokesman told the newspaper: "This is not a government report and we don’t recognise the claims made in it.

“We are focused on getting on with the job of Brexit and making a success of it.”

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