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| Brexit: UK to wait until 'last moment' to spend on 'no deal' plan | Brexit: UK to wait until 'last moment' to spend on 'no deal' plan |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Taxpayers' money will not be spent on preparing for a "no-deal" Brexit until the "very last moment", Chancellor Philip Hammond has suggested. | Taxpayers' money will not be spent on preparing for a "no-deal" Brexit until the "very last moment", Chancellor Philip Hammond has suggested. |
| He told MPs he was preparing for all possible outcomes, including "no deal", and would make money available in a "timely" manner when needed. | He told MPs he was preparing for all possible outcomes, including "no deal", and would make money available in a "timely" manner when needed. |
| But he said he wouldn't take money from other areas, like health or education, now just to "send a message" to the EU. | But he said he wouldn't take money from other areas, like health or education, now just to "send a message" to the EU. |
| One ex-minister said billions should be set aside for a "no deal" scenario. | One ex-minister said billions should be set aside for a "no deal" scenario. |
| David Jones warned failure to earmark funds for additional customs staff and infrastructure in November's Budget would leave the UK "scrambling" to implement new border controls if there was no deal. | David Jones warned failure to earmark funds for additional customs staff and infrastructure in November's Budget would leave the UK "scrambling" to implement new border controls if there was no deal. |
| If money was not set aside, he said it would be seen as a "a sign of weakness" by EU leaders who would think the UK was not serious about leaving the EU without a deal. | If money was not set aside, he said it would be seen as a "a sign of weakness" by EU leaders who would think the UK was not serious about leaving the EU without a deal. |
| After the prime minister revealed this week that the government had plans for a Brexit scenario without a trade deal, Mr Hammond stressed the importance of avoiding a no-deal end to negotiations with the EU. | After the prime minister revealed this week that the government had plans for a Brexit scenario without a trade deal, Mr Hammond stressed the importance of avoiding a no-deal end to negotiations with the EU. |
| The chancellor, who has been accused of being too pessimistic about Brexit, told the Treasury committee of MPs a "cloud of uncertainty" over the outcome of negotiations was "acting as a dampener" on the economy. | The chancellor, who has been accused of being too pessimistic about Brexit, told the Treasury committee of MPs a "cloud of uncertainty" over the outcome of negotiations was "acting as a dampener" on the economy. |
| He said this could only be removed by progress in the talks, which he said was dependent on the EU agreeing to discuss its future relationship with the UK as soon as possible. | He said this could only be removed by progress in the talks, which he said was dependent on the EU agreeing to discuss its future relationship with the UK as soon as possible. |
| He told MPs one worst case scenario for a "no deal", would see no air travel taking place between the UK and the EU on Brexit day - 29 March 2019 - but added that he did not see that as likely to happen, even if the UK/EU talks failed to reach agreement. | He told MPs one worst case scenario for a "no deal", would see no air travel taking place between the UK and the EU on Brexit day - 29 March 2019 - but added that he did not see that as likely to happen, even if the UK/EU talks failed to reach agreement. |
| Writing in the Times ahead of next month's Budget, Mr Hammond said he had a responsibility to be "realistic" about the challenges of leaving the EU and would spend money only when it was "responsible" to do so. | Writing in the Times ahead of next month's Budget, Mr Hammond said he had a responsibility to be "realistic" about the challenges of leaving the EU and would spend money only when it was "responsible" to do so. |
| An extra £412m has already been allocated to government departments to prepare for Brexit over the next four years and Treasury sources suggested more would be made available if negotiations faltered. | An extra £412m has already been allocated to government departments to prepare for Brexit over the next four years and Treasury sources suggested more would be made available if negotiations faltered. |
| Asked about the article as he appeared before the Commons Treasury committee, Mr Hammond said he was "committed" to funding departments for Brexit preparation and he was "rather surprised" that the article might be interpreted as saying that he was reluctant to do so. | Asked about the article as he appeared before the Commons Treasury committee, Mr Hammond said he was "committed" to funding departments for Brexit preparation and he was "rather surprised" that the article might be interpreted as saying that he was reluctant to do so. |
| "We are prepared to spend when we need to spend against the contingency of a no deal outcome," he said. | "We are prepared to spend when we need to spend against the contingency of a no deal outcome," he said. |
| "I am clear we have to be prepared for a no deal scenario unless and until we have clear evidence that this is not where we will end up." | "I am clear we have to be prepared for a no deal scenario unless and until we have clear evidence that this is not where we will end up." |
| He said there would be a "decision point" at which departments would have to decide whether to fund programmes after Brexit in the event of no deal being reached but that moment had not yet been reached. | He said there would be a "decision point" at which departments would have to decide whether to fund programmes after Brexit in the event of no deal being reached but that moment had not yet been reached. |
| "What I am not prepared to do is allocate funds to departments in advance of the need to spend," he added. | "What I am not prepared to do is allocate funds to departments in advance of the need to spend," he added. |
| "We should look in each area at the last point that spending can begin to ensure we are ready for a day one no deal scenario. That is when we should start spending hard-earned taxpayers money. | "We should look in each area at the last point that spending can begin to ensure we are ready for a day one no deal scenario. That is when we should start spending hard-earned taxpayers money. |
| "Every pound we spend on contingency planning on a hard customs border is a pound we can't spend on the NHS, social care or education. I don't believe we should be in the business of making potentially nugatory expenditure until the very last moment when we need to do so." | "Every pound we spend on contingency planning on a hard customs border is a pound we can't spend on the NHS, social care or education. I don't believe we should be in the business of making potentially nugatory expenditure until the very last moment when we need to do so." |
| "We will spend the money in a timely fashion to ensure we are ready but we will not spend it earlier than necessary just to make some demonstration point." | "We will spend the money in a timely fashion to ensure we are ready but we will not spend it earlier than necessary just to make some demonstration point." |
| Theresa May was pressed on the issue at Prime Minister's Questions, in which former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith sought assurances "all necessary monies" would be spent preparing for a no deal outcome. | |
| "Where money needs to be spent it will be spent," the prime minister replied. | |
| Defending her government's wider Brexit strategy, she rejected claims by Labour's Heidi Alexander that she was "ramping up" talk of a "no deal" scenario, telling Parliament "nothing could be further from the truth". | |
| She said the UK was working towards a deal with the EU which would give both sides a "brighter future" but had to prepare for all eventualities. | |
| On Tuesday, Mrs May - who backed Remain in last year's vote - repeatedly refused to say if she would now vote for Brexit, telling LBC radio: "I don't answer hypothetical questions." | On Tuesday, Mrs May - who backed Remain in last year's vote - repeatedly refused to say if she would now vote for Brexit, telling LBC radio: "I don't answer hypothetical questions." |
| At PMQs, the SNP's Ian Blackford claimed the PM "could not answer a simple question" and urged her to "come off the fence" and recognise the risk to jobs in Scotland from leaving the single market and customs union. | |
| In response, the prime minister said she was clear the UK would be leaving the EU in March 2019 and that there would be no second referendum. | |
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