A No Deal Brexit could lead to shortages in the UK of fresh food, medicines and petrol, travel chaos and riots, an official Cabinet document revealed last night.
The explosive paper on Operation Yellowhammer No Deal planning, which was drawn up by the Cabinet Office and published to comply with an order from MPs, set out "worst-case" outcomes.
Across five pages, it laid bare a series of potential scenarios which could become reality if the UK leaves the EU without a deal on October 31. The official release of the paper came after the Daily Mail exclusively revealed its contents last week.
The Mail told how the bombshell report delivered a series of stark warnings over a No Deal and suggested that few individuals and businesses had properly prepared for its impact because they believed Government assurances over the prospects of an agreement with Brussels. Last night's version of the document warned of:
• A rise in public disorder and "community tensions".
• "Significant and prolonged" disruption lasting for up to six months at Channel ports, with HGV flows reduced by up to 60 per cent within a day.
• Maximum delays of up to two and a half days for goods vehicles crossing the Channel;
• Disruption to medicine and medical supplies and shortage of veterinary medicines;
• Shortages of fresh food leading to risk of "panic buying" which would exacerbate the problem;
• Hundreds of thousands of people losing access to clean water because of a shortage of chemicals;
• Traffic disruption impacting supplies of petrol, potentially leading to shortages;
• Northern Ireland would be worst-hit, with severe trade disruption, business closures and job losses particularly in border areas;
• Care homes going bust due to staff shortages within months;