PREPARATIONS are being looked at for the possible imposition of martial law after a no-deal Brexit, it has emerged.
The move has been described by sources as the civil service "prepping" for all possibilities.
The revelation came as further Government splits emerged over whether Britain should quit the EU without an agreement as Defence Minister Tobias Ellwood broke ranks and insisted a no deal scenario must be ruled out.
A Downing Street spokesperson said: "Respecting the referendum decision means leaving the EU.
"The PM has said that there will be disruption in the event of no deal, but as a responsible Government we are taking the appropriate steps to minimise this disruption and ensure the country is prepared."
In other measures the Government sought to extend working hours for MPs in order to get Brexit legislation through the Commons before the scheduled EU withdrawal date of March 29.
Responding to news the Government was looking at the possibility of a martial law scenario, Labour MP and Best for Britain campaign supporter, David Lammy said: "This is a full-blown crisis.
"The Government is recklessly drawing up plans for a colossal act of self-harm.
"Through continuing on the path to Brexit, despite having achieved no consensus on a deal in Parliament, the Government is preparing to declare war on itself.
"The idea that the Government has any mandate for this catastrophic scenario is ludicrous.
"The Leave campaign promised a stable new trading relationship with the EU after Brexit, not total isolation and soldiers in our airports."
Despite Prime Minister Theresa May refusing to take the prospect of a no deal off the table, Mr Ellwood wrote in the Sunday Times: "It is now time to rule out the very possibility of no deal.
"It is wrong for Government and business to invest any more time and money in a no deal outcome which will make us poorer, weaker and smaller in the eyes of the world."
Also writing in the Sunday Times, Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom branded bids by some backbench MPs to kill no deal as an option via a series of Commons amendments on Tuesday as a "thinly veiled attempt to stop Brexit".
In a bid to try and ensure Brexit legislation gets through the Commons and Lords in time for the planned March exit, Parliament's February recess is to be cancelled, and MPs will be made to start earlier and finish later on sitting days.
The move comes after the Commons Leader suggested that leaving the EU might need to be delayed by "a couple of weeks" in order to get all the legislation through.
Reports that the Number 10 chief of staff Gavin Barwell had criticised the role of the Prime Minister's husband Philip May in Brexit discussions were dismissed as "utter bunkum" by a Downing street spokesperson.
In the coming weeks, only subscribers will be able to comment on The National articles. Subscribe now or log in to make sure you stay a part of the conversation.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions. What should we do with our second vote in 2021? What happens if Westminster says no to indyref2?
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversation, register under fake names, and post vile abuse. We’ve had hundreds of emails from you complaining about this, asking us to take steps to ensure that these people aren’t given a platform on our site.
We’re listening to you, and here’s how we plan to make that happen.
We have decided to make the ability to comment only available to our 10,000 paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them.
We’ll be monitoring this change over the first few weeks, and we’re keen to know your thoughts. Email us at letters@thenational.scot if you want to have your say.
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Last Updated:
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?
Report This Comment