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Courtesy of the Telegraph.
Major ports could suffer disruption for up to six months under a no-deal scenario, the Government will tell industry leaders in letters due to be circulated today. In revised forecasts, a cross-government planning committee will warn that access through Dover and Folkestone could be reduced for considerably longer than first feared. A Whitehall source told The Telegraph that under new planning assumptions, ministers expected there to be “significantly reduced access into Dover and Folkestone for up to six months”. The Department for Health and other Government departments which make up the Border Delivery Group are expected to write to business leaders and other relevant bodies today updating them on the forecasts.
On Friday Theresa May’s spokesman confirmed that the group would be “talking today to their key stakeholders about the Government’s no-deal planning assumptions for the border.” Asked whether the Government had revised no-deal disruption estimates for ports like Dover up from six weeks to six months, he said: “I wouldn’t characterise it like that. The point of the work is looking at the issues related to potential congestion around the Dover area after Brexit and the best way of managing that.”
It comes after a Government consultation document leaked to The Times revealed that health ministers are ratcheting up no deal preparations amid growing opposition from MPs to Theresa May’s Brexit deal. The document calls for rapid changes to medicine rules to "support the continuity of supply of medicines in a 'no-deal' scenario". The changes would allow ministers to issue a "serious shortage protocol" for pharmacies to follow, effectively allowing them to overrule GPs and ration prescriptions to patients to prevent drugs and medicines running out.
Ministers would order pharmacists to dispense a "reduced quantity" of Ministers would order pharmacists to dispense a "reduced quantity" of the medicine, an "alternative dosage form", "therapeutic equivalent" or a "generic equivalent". Meanwhile, Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, confirmed that the Government was exploring whether or not planes could be used to fly in drugs to circumvent disruption at major ports, whilst lorries carrying medicines would be given priority. Mr Hancock defended the Government's preparations for a no-deal Brexit but stressed that the potential problems were a reason to back Theresa May's plan in the crucial Commons vote next week.