U.K. Faces Fuel, Food Shortages, Port Delays Post-Brexit

(Bloomberg) — The U.K. will grapple with a shortage of fuel, food and medicine as well as job losses and a disruption at its ports of as long as three months with a no-deal Brexit, the Sunday Times reported, citing leaked government documents.

The dossier called “Operation Yellowhammer,” prepared by the cabinet office, also warned that the supply of fresh food could be reduced, it said. Critical elements of the supply chain, including ingredients, chemicals and packaging, may be affected, the paper added.

The newspaper said the document had been compiled this month to set out the “most likely aftershocks of a no-deal Brexit rather than worst-case scenarios.“

A no-deal exit from the European Union may also result in the return of a hard border in Ireland, which may trigger protests and road blockages, the document said.

Petrol import tariffs will lead to the closure of two oil refineries, the loss of 2,000 jobs, strikes and disruptions, the document said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Sebastian Tong in San Francisco at [email protected]

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Sarah Kopit at [email protected], Linus Chua

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source: yahoo.com