Fine drivers to keep roads flowing in no-deal chaos, says council boss

A French customs officer guides drivers to a customs checkpoint
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Police and highways officers should issue fines to drivers to keep Britain’s roads open in a no-deal scenario, the leader of Kent County Council said today.

Paul Carter also said officers around the country should be drafted in to handle traffic in Kent in the event of a no-deal.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme he wants “boots on the ground” with enough people to “man the pumps” to keep the Kent road network open.

He said enforcement powers would “allow the police and Highways England traffic officers to stop and fine those who don’t take direction and marshalling from the officers”.

Mr Carter, who leads the Tory-run council, said “accelerated progress” had been made since the Yellowhammer report was drafted on August 2.

The controversial report — released last night — outlines “reasonable worst-case assumptions” for the impact of a no-deal Brexit on October 31. Warnings include public disorder, food price increases and providers of adult social care failing. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told BBC Radio 5 Live the Government would step in to help care homes if they went bust, adding: “The state is always there to pick up those pieces.”

Meanwhile, shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald said Parliament should be recalled so the Prime Minister can answer questions on Yellowhammer, which he said is more like planning for “war or a natural disaster”. He added: “It reveals an absolute catastrophe for our country if he continues to drive the ship towards the rocks.”

It comes as the Public Accounts Committee released a report this morning which said: “Departments have been overly secretive about what the consultants are doing, as they have been before in providing information on other aspects of the Brexit preparations.”

The chair of the committee, Meg Hillier MP, said: “We’ve had to wrestle basic information from Government about Brexit preparedness. This secrecy for secrecies sake is not good. People and businesses need to know in time to act.”

Michael Gove, the Cabinet minister in charge of no-deal Brexit planning, played down Yellowhammer’s conclusions today and said: “The Yellowhammer documents are a worst-case scenario. They are produced so Government can make plans and take steps to mitigate any of those consequences. And over the last six weeks this Government has taken considerable steps to ensure, if there is a no-deal scenario, we can leave in the safest and smoothest possible way.”

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