Johnson accuses ex-ministers of leaking ‘outdated’ no-deal warnings

Ex-minister ‘Remainers’ blamed for leaking old warnings of fuel, food and medicine shortages.

Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson steps out of 10 Downing Street in central London. Picture: Tolga Akman/AFP

Boris Johnson has accused Remain-supporting former ministers of leaking details of no-deal planning in an attempt to damage Brexit negotiations.

A secret Whitehall dossier known as Operation Yellowhammer, revealed over the weekend, included warnings that Britain could see shortfalls of fresh food, fuel and medicines. It also suggested that there could be an increase in public disorder, delays at airports and a hard border with Ireland.

A Downing Street source blamed the leak on a group of former ministers known as the “Remain alliance”, which is led by the former chancellor Philip Hammond.

Mr Johnson is set to visit Berlin on Wednesday to meet Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, and Paris the following day to see President Macron of France. Both leaders are expected to reject the prime minister’s call for the Irish backstop to be scrapped and say that they believe a no-deal Brexit is increasingly likely. Mr Johnson will then head to Biarritz in France for the G7 summit of world leaders at the weekend. President Trump is expected to see Mr Johnson before other European leaders at the summit to “send a signal” about the prospect of a post-Brexit trade deal.

Mr Trump could make a second visit to the UK this year, in December, for talks with Mr Johnson.

A No 10 source said that the leaked dossier was “from when ministers were blocking what needed to be done to get ready to leave and the funds were not available”.

“It has been deliberately leaked by a former minister in an attempt to influence discussions with EU leaders,” they said. “Those obstructing preparation are no longer in government, $AU3.59 billion of extra funding has already been made available and Whitehall has been stood up to actually do the work through the daily ministerial meetings. The entire posture of government has changed.”

Michael Gove, chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, who is overseeing no-deal preparations, claimed that the leaked dossier was old and that the government had taken “significant additional steps” since it was written. However, The Times has been told that it was dated this month.

Mr Gove said: “Operation Yellowhammer is the name the government has given to planning for absolutely the worst case in the event of a no-deal Brexit. It is also important to recognise this is an old document.”

Mr Johnson separately accused Tory MPs who are attempting to stop a no-deal Brexit of “gravely damaging” the national interest and making it less likely that Britain would secure a deal. In a letter leaked to The Mail on Sunday, he said it was “plain as a pikestaff” that EU leaders will “simply not compromise” if Tory MPs openly discuss stopping no-deal.

According to the no-deal documents, petrol import tariffs could “inadvertently” lead to the closure of two oil refineries, while protests across the UK could “require significant amounts of police resources”. It also warns that Gibraltar could face delays of up to four hours at the border with Spain for “at least a few months”.

Kwasi Kwarteng, business minister, told Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday: “I think there is a lot of scaremongering around and a lot of people are playing into Project Fear and all the rest of it.”

The Gibraltar government said the Operation Yellowhammer documents were out of date and based on “planning for worst-case scenarios”.

Iain Duncan Smith and Owen Paterson, both Tory former cabinet ministers, claimed that the leak was an example of the “establishment” plot to “sow fear in people’s minds”.

In a joint statement, they said: “This Operation Yellowhammer leak is the version of what the contingency executive put together. We remember attending a briefing on Privy Council terms which they said was not worst case but reasonable worst case. Theresa May had asked for this to be done. It was obviously Project Fear dressed up.”

The Times