Javid admits there will not be ‘like for like’ security in a no deal

Sajid Javid admits there will not be ‘like for like’ security arrangements in a no deal Brexit and refuses to say if Britain will be as safe as it is today

  • Home Secretary was grilled on the threat of no deal Brexit to security measures 
  • Javid insisted to Andrew Marr that Britain would still be a ‘safe’ country in no deal
  • But he admitted the security arrangements would not be the same in a no deal  
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Sajid Javid admitted today Britain’s security arrangements will not be ‘like for like’ in a no deal Brexit and refused to say the country would be as safe as it is today. 

The Home Secretary said crashing out would remove Britain from EU-based intelligence sharing which tackles terrorism and organised crime.

But he said the UK could instead start using an Interpol database to fight security threats in a different way.

Mr Javid was repeatedly asked by the BBC’s Andrew Marr if Britain would be ‘less safe’ after a no deal Brexit and he failed to answer directly. 

He insisted only that Britain would continue to be a ‘very safe country’ whatever happens in the Brexit endgame ahead of exit day on March 29. 


Sajid Javid admitted today Britain’s security arrangements will not be ‘like for like’ in a no deal Brexit and refused to say the country would be as safe as it is today

Asked if things will get worse for the country and the security services, Mr Javid said: ‘We will still be a very safe country.’

Told things would be ‘tougher’, he added: ‘There will be a change in capability. There are capabilities I would want to keep.

‘They require cooperation with the EU and I have to plan on the basis that in a no deal scenario the EU will not allow us to access those capabilties.’

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Mr Javid said: ‘There will be mitigants, they are not perfect.

‘I would rather we were not in that situation but if your question… ultimately is about public confidence in security.

‘Most of these capabilities came about in 2015. We were a safe country then and we would be a very safe country in a no deal scenario.’ 


The Home Secretary said crashing out would remove Britain from EU-based intelligence sharing which tackles terrorism and organised crime

In other developments on no deal planning this weekend, it emerged the Department for Transport is preparing for the knock-on impact of a no-deal Brexit overwhelming the transport system, according to a leaked document in The Times.

What are the no deal Brexit plans which have been enacted?

Here are the emergency no deal plans which have been activated: 

Some 3,500 troops are on standby for no deal Brexit 

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said the troops could be used by any department as needed – but that no specific requests had yet been made for them. 

Ministers will book space on ferries to ensure critical supplies,  such as medicines,  can get in if there are long queues at the borders 

Families are to to be given advice on how to prepare for a no deal Brexit

Up to 10,000 lorries could be parked in Kent if no deal causes delays at the ports  

The Kent authorities have warned that the gridlock could mean pupils miss school and exams, while bodies could pile up

There have been widespread predictions of traffic gridlock on key roads in southeast England due to customs checks on trucks trying to cross the English Channel at Dover, Europe’s busiest ferry port.

The impacts “could fall across every transport mode … and could grow exponentially as … the capabilities of responders at all levels decrease or become overwhelmed,” the document offering guidance to officials working in a planned emergency response centre said.

The Department for Transport did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Separately, the Guardian said environment officials were worried that Britain would struggle to export waste as well as livestock, leading to growing mounds of rubbish and slurry.

“Odours will obviously be an issue as the stockpiled waste putrefies,” an internal email cited by the Guardian said.

Farmers unable to export sheep and cattle “may have problems with slurry storage capacity and insufficient land spreading capability”, the email also warned.

An Environment Agency spokesman said a process was in place to ensure waste could still be exported after a no-deal Brexit.

 

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