Ministers warn supermarkets to stockpile amid no-deal Brexit fears

Food producers have warned there will be shortages for three months as emergency planners predict that a no-deal Brexit would spark panic-buying on a scale that could dwarf the pandemic.

Emergency planners predict that no-deal would spark panic-buying on a scale that could dwarf the coronavirus crisis. Picture: Getty

British supermarkets are this weekend stockpiling food and other goods after being told by ministers that a no-deal Brexit is on the cards.

Food producers have warned there will be shortages of vegetables for three months and emergency planners predict that no-deal would spark panic-buying on a scale that could dwarf the coronavirus crisis.

In a sign of what might be to come, lorries were backed up for three miles on the A20 outside Dover yesterday, after Calais suffered 16 kilometre tailbacks on Friday. Hauliers blamed the jams in Kent on “stock-building”.

Freight lorries are seen queuing as they wait to enter the port of Dover on the south coast of England before boarding a ferry to Europe, as Brexit stockpiling increases demand. Picture: AFP

Health ministers have told suppliers of medicines, medical devices and vaccines to stockpile six weeks’ worth at secure locations in the UK.

Boris Johnson is set to take control of planning from Michael Gove if Britain opts for no-deal, chairing a “super XO” exit operations committee to prepare the response.

The prime minister’s move comes amid fears that a trade deal will not be possible by the deadline at the end of today.

Talks between the two negotiators - Lord Frost and Michel Barnier - continued last night and will resume today. Johnson is also expected to speak today to Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission. But a senior figure said the chances of a deal were no better than 20%.

A government source said: “As things stand, the offer on the table from the EU remains unacceptable. The prime minister will leave no stone unturned in this process, but he is absolutely clear: any agreement must be fair and respect the fundamental position that the UK will be a sovereign nation in three weeks’ time.”

Cabinet ministers want Johnson to get cabinet approval before announcing that Britain is heading for no-deal. Some also want to see the legal text of the EU’s proposals but no one is prepared to publicly question Johnson’s approach.

A senior consultant to one of the biggest supermarkets revealed: “There was a conversation a week ago when ministers said prepare for no-deal. This weekend the message is that it’s no-deal.

“Supermarkets and ministers are hugely worried about panic- buying. They saw what happened over Covid when people started hoarding toilet rolls and know how quickly it can go wrong.

“That will be nothing compared to what will happen. Meat supplies will be fine and fruit comes from South America but there are likely to be shortages of vegetables for three months.”

Richard Burnett, chief executive of the Road Haulage Association, said yesterday’s queues were “highly unusual at this time of year”, adding: “It’s a sign of [what will happen] when we do start to [see] checks and paperwork. The stock building is also real, we wouldn’t normally see this level of volume.”

A new poll today by BritainThinks found that 66% of voters now expect a no-deal and 58% expect it to have a negative impact on their own lives. Only 26% said that it would not affect them.

As no-deal planning intensifies:

The government signed contracts with four ferry companies to carry 3,000 lorries a week to the UK with food and medicines.

Civil servants have been told they will work through Christmas to ensure Britain is ready.

Officials from 16 government departments will take part in a “worst case scenario” planning exercise on Wednesday.

Ministers have pre-approved hundreds of emergency steps, part of a “playbook” for dealing with no-deal disasters.

“We’ve developed a playbook which maps out every single foreseeable scenario with Minister-approved courses of action so we can implement them immediately,” a Whitehall source said.

It was claimed last night that Johnson has to make a decision today on whether to opt for no-deal because the software that HM Revenue & Customs would use to impose tariffs takes so long to update that it must be in place by Monday or it would not be ready on January 1.

This was disputed by a No 10 official who said there was a “technical fix” that would buy more time.

If the talks go nowhere today it is possible that a decision will be taken to suspend formal negotiations. Pressure will then mount on Angela Merkel, Emmanuel Macron and other EU powerbrokers to step in to resolve the impasse before the end of the Brexit transition phase on December 31.

British officials say the EU wants to force Britain to adhere to its rules on pain of punitive retaliation. When Johnson proposed mutual agreement to diverge in exchange for proportionate tariffs, they say he was ignored by von der Leyen.

The prime minister briefed his staff: “I kept throwing pennies in the well and no sounds came back.”

Last night Johnson faced a warning not to cave in by the prominent Brexiteer and former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith. “Surrendering to the outlandish demands of Brussels is simply not an option,” he said.

Government officials said they have done enough to secure supplies of food and medicines through the new Border Operations Centre, which will monitor the flow of goods, adding: “No one needs to worry about food, medicine or supply chains.”

The Times