Prime Minister Theresa May’s Cabinet will ramp up preparations for a clean break from the EU without a deal.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman confirmed Tuesday afternoon, following a Cabinet meeting, that senior ministers “agreed that delivering the deal that the Prime Minister agreed with Brussels remains the government’s top priority and our best no deal mitigation.
“However, the government’s continued duty is to prepare for every eventuality, including a no-deal situation.”
“We have our No Deal plans and we will implement them in full,” the spokesman added according to The Guardian.
Brexit secretary Steve Barclay added that preparations for a No Deal Brexneededs to be “much more of a priority for businesses up and down the country.”
“A responsible government is preparing for the eventuality that we leave without a deal,” he added.
In addition, ministers approved a £2 billion fund to be distributed to Government departments to manage No Deal arrangements if the United Kingdom makes a clean break from the bloc when it leaves on March 29th, 2019.
Businesses will also be sent information to help them prepare.
Defence secretary Gavin Williamson said in the House of Commons that while the Government has not made any formal request, 3,500 troops will also be on standby “in order to support any Government department on any contingencies they may need.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report