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26th Jan 2019

Britain begins stockpiling at military bases in case of no-deal Brexit

Britain has begun stockpiling food, fuel, spare parts and ammunition at military bases around the world, according to Sky News

Reuben Pinder

Luckily we have huge reserves of stubbornness and fighting spirit

Britain has begun stockpiling food, fuel, spare parts and ammunition and military bases in various locations across the world including Gibraltar and the Falklands Island, according to Sky News.

Supplies are also being stored at bases in the UK to minimise the risk of the armed forces running short and being unable to operate in the case of a no deal Brexit on March 29, which would make it significantly harder to import and export everyday goods.

These supplies are being described as “forward-purchased” and over £23 million has been spent on stockpiling them so far, Sky News claims.

This move is part of ‘Operation Yellowhammer’, the codename for a contingency plan in the event of crashing out of the European Union without a trade deal in place.

Sky report that Operation Yellowhammer is designed to keep disruption to a minimum if Britain departs from the EU without an agreement, according to three defence sources.

The main concern among army officials is that delivering goods to British soldiers at bases around Europe – Cyprus, for example – could be impacted by a no-deal Brexit.

“An army marches on its stomach. If supply lines breakdown they struggle,” one source said.

Anything that were to slow down the flow of food and other vital items to Britain’s military bases overseas could have a huge impact on operations and affect thousands of soldiers, sailors and airmen.

Topics:

Brexit,Politics