Officials and ministers can be called in to explain missed deadlines and problems. A government source said the team of the “best and brightest” civil servants will tackle 340-plus projects. The Brexit Readiness Unit will be based in the Cabinet Office and overseen by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove, and No 10, with the goal of “ensuring greater accountability of preparations across government”.
The unit will support an “exit operations committee” which operates daily out of Cobra – the Government’s emergency response committee.
The source said: “The team has been assembled [by] Michael Gove to ensure new policy is made to the highest standard and that Brexit planning is enforced across Westminster as the UK prepares to take back control on October 31.
“The plans have been going through robust stress-testing featuring members of the public.”
The establishment of the team is the latest evidence of Mr Gove’s influence at the heart of Mr Johnson’s administration.
Mr Gove’s political future had looked in doubt after his ill-fated bid for the Tory leadership.
Mr Gove had played a key role in derailing Mr Johnson’s leadership ambitions in 2016 when he refused to support him, despite having worked alongside him in the Vote Leave campaign.
Today, however, Mr Gove’s former aide Dominic Cummings is Mr Johnson’s top adviser.
The PM has not just buried the hatchet with Mr Gove, he has entrusted him with key responsibilities for delivering Brexit.
