No Brexit armageddon, promises Downing Street

Downing Street has insisted there will be no "Armageddon" after the UK leaves the EU, insisting reports this weekend suggesting otherwise are wrong.

Yesterday a leaked memo from the Department for Exiting the EU (DexEU) suggested there would be chaos at ports while food, medicine and fuel shortages would cripple the country within a fortnight of a “no deal” Brexit, according to the Sunday Times.

But backing DexEU's response, Number 10 said that the claims were "completely false", adding government was "fully prepared for all scenarios".

A spokesman said: "A significant amount of work gone into these plans, especially ports, and we know that none of this would happen.

"We are equally clear that we are working towards a deal because it's in the interests of both sides."

Asked if he could give a cast iron guarantee, the spokesman nodded.

He went on to describe the June European Council summit – the last before the final deal must be reached in October – as a "staging post" but did not engage with suggestions that progress on any specific areas was required this month.

He also reiterated the Prime Minister's view that no deal was still better than a bad deal.

The documents are said to have been written for the Inter-Ministerial Group on Preparedness by civil servants at the Department for Exiting the EU (DExEU), Department of Health and Social Care and Department for Transport.

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CityAM

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