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Is It Project Fear All Over Again? Five Stories Whipped Up by Brexit Scaremongerers

The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has said the electorate are being held captive by a “zombie Parliament” and urged them to get on with Brexit. Sputnik looks at five nightmare scenarios which those opposed to a no-deal Brexit have suggested.
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Opponents of a hard Brexit have been scaremongering on a scale not seen since David Cameron and George Osborne launched “Project Fear” in the spring of 2016 in an attempt to get voters to reject Brexit in the referendum.

But 52 percent of Britons voted for Britain to leave and in the three years since Parliament has stymied attempts to carry out their wishes.

So what are the Remainers claiming will go wrong if Britain leaves the EU on 31 October?

The National Health Service

The National Audit Office says ministers will not know if there are enough medicines or medical supplies if Britain leaves the European Union without a deal next month.

Labour MP Meg Hillier, the chair of the public accounts committee and a Remainer, told The Guardian: “The Department of Health and Social Care still doesn’t know whether all stockpiles are in place, it has no idea whether social care providers are ready and it is still not certain whether all the freight capacity government needs will be in place on time. If government gets this wrong, it could have the gravest of consequences.”

Food and Fuel Shortages

Earlier this month the government was forced to release internal documents which warned of the worst consequences of a no deal Brexit.

The Operation Yellowhammer document said: “There is a risk panic buying will cause or exacerbate food supply disruption…Low-income groups will be disproportionately affected by any price rises in food and fuel.”

​Good Friday Agreement

Tony Blair, the High Priest of the Remainer cult, said earlier this year that “it is an irresponsibility that is frankly sickening” that some British politicians “would sacrifice peace in Northern Ireland on the altar of Brexit.”

Sinn Fein’s Vice President, Michelle O'Neill, said last week a no-deal Brexit was "incompatible with the Good Friday Agreement."

Raymond McCord, whose son was murdered during The Troubles, told Sputnik on Friday, 27 September, he feared a return to “the bad old days” if there was a no deal Brexit and a hard Irish border.

​But Lord Trimble, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in the Good Friday Agreement, said last year it was “rubbish” that Brexit will undermine the agreement.

Lord Trimble said: “The Good Friday Agreement was about dealing with constitutional issues, ending terrorism and bringing peace, not economic matters and there is only a passing reference to the EU.”

Flight Delays

In February the Consumers’ Association magazine Which? said a no-deal Brexit could lead to UK travellers facing hours of delays because of additional entry checks at European Union airports.

They said six Spanish airports - Alicante, Tenerife, Lanzarote, Malaga, Ibiza and Palma- would be the worst affected.

​In September a survey by consumer magazine Which? - yes, them again - found a third of UK travellers were worried about disruption to flights caused by Brexit.

People aged between 18 and 24 and from London were most worried about the impact of Brexit. 

Terrorism and Security

In November 2018 Ben Wallace, then Security Minister under Theresa May said crashing out of the European Union without a deal would result in a “real impact” on security co-operation as the UK loses access to EU databases, like the Schengen Information System (SIS) used to track down terrorists and serious criminals.

Mr Wallace, who was promoted to Defence Secretary when Boris Johnson became Prime Minister, has since changed his tune.

​In February the National Police Chiefs' Council lead for Brexit, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Richard Martin, said British police officers and their European counterparts were dreading a no-deal Brexit.

At a press briefing he was asked by a journalist if Britain would be less safe in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

"Will we be less safe? Yes. Will criminal gangs be running amok? No. But will it make our jobs more difficult, yes," Mr. Martin said.

Discuss