Johnson vows UK will be ready for no-deal Brexit

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said yesterday Britain will be ready for a no-deal Brexit on October 31 despite his own government’s assessment warning that planning remained “at a low level”. Johnson insisted the government had been “massively accelerating” its preparations for leaving the European Union without an agreement since the August 2 report, which was disclosed on Wednesday after MPs voted for its release.

He called the “Operation Yellowhammer” forecast, drawn up with input from various departments and which warned of possible civil unrest and shortages of food and medicines following no deal, a “worst case scenario”. “All the industries that matter will be ready for a no-deal Brexit,” Johnson told reporters. “What you’re looking at here is just the sensible preparations -- the worst-case scenario -- that you’d expect any government to do.”

The documents painted a grim picture of possible “public disorder and community tensions” as well as logjams at Channel ports, threatening supplies, after a no-deal departure. The Yellowhammer release has also fuelled fears among MPs that a disorderly divorce would be as calamitous as the documents warn.

Johnson denies lying

Johnson asked Queen Elizabeth II to shutter parliament for five weeks, claiming it was necessary ahead of introducing his new domestic agenda. The suspension, known as prorogation, occurs most years but was unusually long, provoking uproar across the political spectrum and several legal challenges.

The prime minister defended the decision again on Thursday, insisting he had not lied to the Queen about his motives for it. Asked by the British broadcaster if he had lied, he replied: “Absolutely not!”