Wednesday, July 25, 2018
Will food rationing be a consequence of a no deal Brexit?
There have been a lot of bizarre and sometimes disturbing admissions and revelations over the last two years regarding the Brexit shambles this government has created, but the extraordinary confirmation by Dominic Raab that the government is making plans to stockpile food in case the negotiations fail shows the extent of the mess we are in.
As the Independent reports, the new Brexit secretary promised to ensure “there is adequate food supply” if the UK crashes out of the EU without a deal, telling MPs the task would be overseen by industry, rather than Whitehall, but he refused to go into any further detail.
He told the Brexit Committee that “technical notices” in the coming months would set out the preparations to keep supermarket shelves well stocked:
Mr. Raab argued: “It would be wrong to describe it as the government doing the stockpiling. And, of course, the idea that we only get food imports into this country from one continent is not appropriate.
“But we will look at the issue in the round and make sure there is adequate food supply.”
The Brexit secretary added: “I’m not going to give more detail until I can set it out in a responsible and full fashion.”
Mr. Raab acknowledged the “uncertainty we would face” in the short term, if the UK left the EU without a deal, but insisted: “Long term, we would still be able to thrive.”
And he refused to repeat his predecessor’s David Davis boast that a full trade deal could be agreed with the EU by exit day next March, saying: “That would be a challenge, but one that I’m up for.”
At long last, we are getting some idea from Government MInisters of the disaster that faces us when we drive off that Brexit cliff. What we are not getting, however, are any solutions. Dominic Raab has not outlined any solutions or even said how he will guarantee food supplies.
Is the Government planning on reintroducing rationing? We need to know.
As the Independent reports, the new Brexit secretary promised to ensure “there is adequate food supply” if the UK crashes out of the EU without a deal, telling MPs the task would be overseen by industry, rather than Whitehall, but he refused to go into any further detail.
He told the Brexit Committee that “technical notices” in the coming months would set out the preparations to keep supermarket shelves well stocked:
Mr. Raab argued: “It would be wrong to describe it as the government doing the stockpiling. And, of course, the idea that we only get food imports into this country from one continent is not appropriate.
“But we will look at the issue in the round and make sure there is adequate food supply.”
The Brexit secretary added: “I’m not going to give more detail until I can set it out in a responsible and full fashion.”
Mr. Raab acknowledged the “uncertainty we would face” in the short term, if the UK left the EU without a deal, but insisted: “Long term, we would still be able to thrive.”
And he refused to repeat his predecessor’s David Davis boast that a full trade deal could be agreed with the EU by exit day next March, saying: “That would be a challenge, but one that I’m up for.”
At long last, we are getting some idea from Government MInisters of the disaster that faces us when we drive off that Brexit cliff. What we are not getting, however, are any solutions. Dominic Raab has not outlined any solutions or even said how he will guarantee food supplies.
Is the Government planning on reintroducing rationing? We need to know.
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Sometimes we forget some of the food shortages of the early 1970s. A harvest failure and panic buying created a short lived coffee drought, and cafes removed sugar dispensers from tables during the sugar shortage. Most significantly, disease affected the UK potato harvest which increased prices for all root vegetables.
Nobody starved as a result of these shortages, but they added pertinence to my geography school lessons.
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Nobody starved as a result of these shortages, but they added pertinence to my geography school lessons.
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