Reports have emerged that the UK government are sharply divided over Brexit, and that about 30,000 extra staff are needed to achieve the project.
According to The Times newspaper a leaked memo has identified cabinet splits between Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, Brexit Secretary David Davis and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox on one side, and Chancellor Philip Hammond and Business Secretary Greg Clark on the other.
According to the newspaper, the memo said: “Every department has developed a ‘bottom-up’ plan of what the impact of Brexit could be and its plan to cope with the ‘worst case’.
The government has no overall Brexit plan and a negotiating strategy may not be agreed by the cabinet for six months, the memo has suggested.
However, there is still no common exit strategy “because of divisions within the cabinet”, the leaked document adds.
A government spokesman said it “didn’t recognise” the claims made in the memo.
Prime Minister Theresa May hopes to invoke Article 50 – beginning the formal two-year process for leaving the EU – by the end of March next year.
However, BBC political correspondent Chris Mason – who has seen the memo – says the document shows how “complex, fraught and challenging delivering Brexit will be”.
The leaked Cabinet Office memo – written by an un-named consultant and entitled “Brexit Update” of Nov. 7, suggests it will take another six months before the government decides precisely what it wants to achieve from Brexit or agrees on its priorities.
The report criticises Mrs May, who it says is “acquiring a reputation of drawing in decisions and details to settle matters herself” – an approach it describes as being “unlikely to be sustainable”.
The memo also suggests the government does not have enough officials to implement Brexit quickly, while departments are developing individual plans resulting in “well over 500 projects”.
It estimates an additional 30,000 extra civil servants could be required to meet the workload.
The document also says big businesses could soon “point a gun at the government’s head” to secure what they need to maintain jobs and investment.
It comes after Japanese car manufacturer Nissan said it had been given “support and assurances” over trading conditions once Britain leaves the EU.
Asked to comment on the leaked document, a government spokesman said it was focused on “getting on with the job of delivering Brexit and making a success of it”.
