Hundreds of civil servants will be moved to no-deal Brexit planning as of Monday after the government announced it has “triggered” Operation Yellowhammer.
The officials will shift from their day jobs full-time into operations centres across the country as they enter the “final most intensive stage” of preparations.
Many of the officials were already working on Yellowhammer – the government’s planning regime for a worse-case no deal Brexit – but will now work on it full time.
A Whitehall source suggested work could escalate further, activating a full network of “command and control structures”, closer to October 31 if Brexit is still unresolved.
(Image: PRU/AFP via Getty Images)
A Cabinet Office spokesman said: “We have now entered the final, most intensive stage of the Government’s preparations for leaving the EU without a deal by triggering Operation Yellowhammer.
“This makes sure we will have done everything possible to prepare for leaving the EU without a deal on October 31.
Tory Michael Gove revealed earlier today he was “triggering” Yellowhammer as he led a Sunday meeting of the government’s no-deal planning committee.
He insisted Britain would still leave the EU on Halloween despite Boris Johnson being forced to request a three-month delay from EU leaders hours earlier.
The Prime Minister last night sent a request to the EU to delay until January 31, deal or no deal, after MPs forced him to with a vote in Parliament.
But he refused to sign it and sent a second signed note which branded an extension “corrosive”.
That left questions over whether an extension would be granted or EU leaders would leave the UK to crash out with no deal.
In a bid to leave on time, the PM is now racing to hold a fresh vote on his Brexit deal and get a Bill through the Commons to pass it into law in time for Halloween.
(Image: EPA-EFE/REX)
A Withdrawal Agreement Bill – which makes the Brexit deal law – will be introduced to Parliament on Monday and have its first debate on Tuesday.
But Downing Street is facing a string of knife-edge votes to pass the Bill with no guarantee of success.
And there will be a string of amendments – including for a customs union and second referendum – that could throw a spanner in the works.
If the Bill does not get through, and European leaders refuse to delay Brexit, Britain faces no-deal next Thursday.
Boris Johnson will try to have a fresh ‘meaningful vote’ on his deal tomorrow night to establish if he has the numbers.
But he could be blocked if Speaker John Bercow decides the vote is outside Commons procedure.
Mr Gove told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday: “We are going to leave by October 31. We have the means and the ability to do so.”
He added: “The risk of leaving without a deal has actually increased because we cannot guarantee that the European Council will grant an extension.“
“And that is why I will, later today, be chairing a Cabinet committee meeting, extraordinarily on a Sunday, in order to ensure that the next stage of our exit preparations and our preparedness for no-deal is accelerated.
“It means that we are triggering Operation Yellowhammer.
“It means that we are preparing to ensure that, if no extension is granted, we have done everything possible in order to prepare to leave without a deal.”
A Cabinet Office spokesman said: “Operation Yellowhammer is a cross-government programme of work to ensure that Government is ready.
“It ensures that we are prepared to mitigate impacts of even the potential reasonable worst case scenario if on October 31 the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
“Preparing for all contingencies, including reasonable worst case scenarios, is what a responsible Government should do, and this is part of that.“With less than two weeks until October 31, hundreds of civil servants will from today move to work on these operational matters.”
