Bloomberg
Prime Minister Theresa May, who has just 28 days to convince rebellious lawmakers to back her Brexit deal, put the UK on high alert over the dangers of crashing out of the European Union without an agreement.
Her cabinet ministers agreed to implement “in full†plans for a no-deal break from the European Union, including 3,500 troops put on standby and 2 billion pounds ($2.5 billion) of funds made available for contingencies. Further warnings to voters and businesses will follow in coming weeks.
May has said she’ll put the terms she negotiated with Brussels to a vote in Parliament the week of January 14, by which time her advisers hope enough lawmakers will have seen the danger of a no-deal split to back it. Authorities warn of potential massive economic damage from leaving the EU without an agreement, including a slump of as much as 25 percent in the pound and house prices down as much as 30 percent.
May is trying to persuade EU leaders to sweeten the Brexit deal, after she pulled a planned parliamentary vote in the face of anger in her own Conservative party. After a rebuff last week, she says she will keep talking to the EU. But now she also wants members of Parliament to be staring over the cliff edge when they vote.
The Treasury allocated the biggest share of no-deal funding to bolster border security,
while the tax and customs office was given funds to employ 3,000 people.
Home Secretary Sajid Javid was expected to set out the government’s plans for post-Brexit immigration on Wednesday.
As a compromise between ministers who want to cut numbers and those who worry about the economic impact, he will announce a public consultation on whether migrants should have to earn over $38,000 a year before they can be considered for entry as highly-skilled migrants, according to a person familiar with the situation.