UK Government 'negligent' for not preparing for Brexit, MPs say

Brexit flags - creative commons

The former Prime Minister stopped Whitehall undertaking contingency planning for a Brexit vote beyond some work in the Treasury to deal with the immediate effects on financial stability.

The Foreign Affairs Committee, led by Conservative MP Crispin Blunt, has said the failure to prepare properly had left the Government to “play catch-up”.

Its report reads: “The previous Government’s considered view not to instruct key Departments including the FCO to plan for the possibility that the electorate would vote to leave the EU amounted to gross negligence.

“It has exacerbated post-referendum uncertainty both within the UK and amongst key international partners, and made the task now facing the new Government substantially more difficult.”

The committee also looks at the interaction between the Foreign Office and the new departments for international trade and leaving the EU.

It said the FCO required a “substantial increase in the funding” to enable it to deal better with the fallout of Brexit.

The MPs also warned that civil servants going to the new departments should not hit the FCO’s capabilities.

“The Prime Minister should give the FCO the resources it needs to fill any gaps in its capacity left by the departure of officials to other departments,” the MPs said.

Mr Blunt added in a statement: “The UK needs to give clear signals to our allies across the world that Britain is determined to assert our place in the world post Brexit. This is not just about trade in the EU or with the rest of the world – although that represents a significant challenge.

“This is also about the UK’s international reputation. We want to see the FCO working effectively with the new Department for International Trade and the Department for Exiting the European Union. Our security, prosperity, values and democracy will depend on the strength of these key departments and their working relationships.

“The Brexit challenge requires a fully staffed and resourced FCO. A commitment to scaling up resources and personnel would give a clear signal to allies of our priorities.”