The British government is expecting a 3-month-long critical transition period after a no-deal Brexit, according to the document called Yellowhammer Operation leaked out on Sunday. The report predicts severe difficulties in transportation, leading to shortages of food and medicine during this period.
A government report called Operation Yellowhammer was leaked on Sunday, 18 August, revealing the presumable effects of the UK leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement on 31 October. According to The Guardian, 50%-85% of lorries travelling across the Channel may not be ready for French customs.
HGVs coming from the EU could also face a delay of 1½-2½ days before being able to cross the border which hold-up is going to cause a major disruption in transportation itself and also, the operation of the whole supply chain. According to the BBC, the Port of Dover in Kent handles approximately 10,500 lorries a day and the worry is that extra checks could lead to bottlenecks, leading to many miles of tailbacks. As we have earlier described, two minutes of additional processing time for each lorry is estimated to lead to tailbacks of 17 miles. This extra waiting time will have an impact on the supply of medicines and medical supplies, British media warns.
But it is not only the medical sphere that can be affected by the delays of lorries. Britain can face an overall shortage of food, as transportation of some fresh products, ingredients and packaging material will also be disrupted.
As The Times reports, the British government is planning to set petrol import tariffs at 0%, which can lead to the closure of two oil refineries. Refinery closures, however, would mean that Britain would rely on cheap import fuels, and again, this would lead to disruption to fuel supply.
Scaremongering?
The Road Haulage Association, the only trade association in the United Kingdom dedicated solely to road haulage, has been urging the British government to act for years.
Yellowhammer Report just confirms what we’ve been saying for the past 2.5 years. It’s not scaremongering, it’s the reality of the situation if there’s no deal. With only 53 working days until Brexit, we’ve only got a short time to prepare.
#YellowhammerReport just confirms what we’ve been saying for the past 2.5 years. It’s not scaremongering, its the reality of the situation if there’s no deal. With only 53 working days until #Brexit we’ve only got a short time to prepare @RHARichardB @SkyNews pic.twitter.com/21kAttbMoi
— RHA News (@RHANews) August 18, 2019
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