"Bumps in the road" if the UK leaves the European Union without a deal
Michael Gove has said the UK will experience "bumps in the road" if it leaves the EU without a deal
The cabinet minister said the UK is more prepared for that outcome than it previously was.
"It is the case, as everyone knows, that if we do have a 'no-deal' exit there will inevitably be some disruption, some bumps in the road. That's why we want a deal," Gove told reporters. "But it is also the case that the UK government is far more prepared now than it was in the past."
The UK will face shortages of fuel, food and medicine if it leaves the European Union without a transition deal, according to leaked official documents reported by the Sunday Times, but whose interpretation was contested by ministers.
Setting out a vision of jammed ports, public protests and widespread disruption, the Times said the forecasts compiled by the Cabinet Office set out the most likely aftershocks of a no-deal Brexit rather than the worst case scenarios.
Gove challenged that, saying that the documents did set out a worst case scenario and that planning had been accelerated in the last three weeks.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson's office said it did not comment on leaked documents.
A government source blamed the leak on an unnamed former minister who wanted to influence negotiations with the EU.
Published: by Radio NewsHub