The credibility of “Project Fear” threats of a “chaotic” no-deal Brexit have taken yet another blow as a top ferry company confirms it is “sufficiently prepared”.
Nigel Wonnacott, who leads on external communications at Brittany Ferries, suggested that claims up to 75 per cent of lorries arriving in Portsmouth could be turned away in a No Deal scenario were not credible, in comments to The News.
“We don’t want to set too many hares running and terrify people that it will be inevitable that there will be chaos in Portsmouth,” Mr Wonnacott told the local press outlet.
“There’s sufficient planning in place to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
Indeed, the ferry chief appeared to imply that it is the uncertainty introduced by EU loyalist MPs who are attempting to force Prime Minister Boris Johnson to beg for yet another Brexit delay — which he insists he will do — which is prolonging the confusion for businesses, as bosses “can only hit the button with more direct information and clear advice [on what to do] when we know what is happening with Brexit”
He added, however, that the industry could ready itself a clean break with the EU in a remarkably short period of time, telling The News that single week would “absolutely” be enough to prepare for No Deal.
“There could be a very strong and detailed communication plan in the last week before Brexit where this happens, he explained.
“You’ve got to remember it won’t just be us that will be communicating, the government will be too,” he added.
The reassurances from Brittany Ferries follows the CEO of the Port of Dover, which is the main entrypoint to Britain from the EU export hub of Calais, France, confirming that the port is “100 per cent ready” for No Deal — a statement echoed by the relevant French authorities on the opposite side of the English Channel, who have been adamant that they too are prepared for any outcome.
As additional assurance that trade from the Continent will not be disrupted, the once-thriving harbour in Ramsgate, Kent, is being dredged to serve as a kind of “Second Dover” linked the Ostend, Belgium, to the delight of residents who are looking forward to the local economy being boosted.
Meanwhile, industry chiefs responsible for Britain’s other major ports have been clear that they “already have the capacity and infrastructure to handle large volumes of both EU and non-EU trade today without ‘logjam’,” having done the majority of their international trade with countries beyond the EU and its Customs Union for many years.