Up to 4,000 civil servants in five of Britain’s government have been asked to set aside their daily tasks to work on the preparations for a no-deal Brexit, a scenario the current parliamentary arithmetic is making increasingly likely.
Ministers were being asked to take up their new roles within weeks for a period of at least six months in order to ensure that basic services will not be discontinued in the event of a hard Brexit, local media reported.
Five ministers in particular – defence, justice, education, international development and work and pensions – were found to have spare capacity. The selected 4,000 civil servants are set to constitute a cross-departmental border delivery group.
Separately, the civil service in Norther Ireland was recruiting volunteers to oversee fuel distributions in case of emergency.
A no-deal scenario, however, is no longer the only alternative, according to British officials. Speaking to the BBC Today program on Friday, Britain’s foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt said the chances of Brexit being halted altogether were going up. “I think after this week things have changed”, he said. “Up until now I think people have quite rightly been worrying about the prospects of a no deal. Now there is another possibility coming into sight, which is actually no Brexit. And why is that? We have a government that is committed to delivering Brexit. But it doesn’t’ have a majority.”
Mr Hunt said that if the current deal were to be rejected, what Britain may end up with is “not a different type of Brexit but a Brexit paralysis. And Brexit paralysis ultimately could lead to no Brexit.”
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Read more:
Former security chiefs warn against May’s withdrawal deal
Brexit on the brink as Theresa May resists demand for plan B
Jeremy Corbyn to set out Labour’s policy on Brexit
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The foreign minister said this scenario would be a “breach of trust” towards British voters as well as a blow to Britain’s reputation abroad.
This possibility had been already brought up by prime minister Theresa May when she listed the possible outcomes after a five-hours long cabinet meeting that ended with the approval of her Brexit plan.
However, Mrs May also seemed to dismiss the possibility when she repeatedly declared that Britain will leave the EU in March under whatever circumstances.
Growth in Britain has entered a spell of weak growth, with forecasts predicting the economy will expand by 1.1 per cent – the lowest rate since the 2009 recession.
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All times UAE
Wednesday
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Russia v Sweden 10.45pm
Friday
Belgium v Switzerland 10.45pm
Croatia v England 10.45pm
Saturday
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Sunday
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Monday
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Top financial tips for graduates
Araminta Robertson, of the Financially Mint blog, shares her financial advice for university leavers:
1. Build digital or technical skills: After graduation, people can find it extremely hard to find jobs. From programming to digital marketing, your early twenties are for building skills. Future employers will want people with tech skills.
2. Side hustle: At 16, I lived in a village and started teaching online, as well as doing work as a virtual assistant and marketer. There are six skills you can use online: translation; teaching; programming; digital marketing; design and writing. If you master two, you’ll always be able to make money.
3. Networking: Knowing how to make connections is extremely useful. Use LinkedIn to find people who have the job you want, connect and ask to meet for coffee. Ask how they did it and if they know anyone who can help you. I secured quite a few clients this way.
4. Pay yourself first: The minute you receive any income, put about 15 per cent aside into a savings account you won’t touch, to go towards your emergency fund or to start investing. I do 20 per cent. It helped me start saving immediately.
Day 1 results:
Open Men (bonus points in brackets)
New Zealand 125 (1) beat UAE 111 (3)
India 111 (4) beat Singapore 75 (0)
South Africa 66 (2) beat Sri Lanka 57 (2)
Australia 126 (4) beat Malaysia -16 (0)
Open Women
New Zealand 64 (2) beat South Africa 57 (2)
England 69 (3) beat UAE 63 (1)
Australia 124 (4) beat UAE 23 (0)
New Zealand 74 (2) beat England 55 (2)
