British Government triggers Operation Yellowhammer following Saturday’s Brexit vote

Preparations for a no deal Brexit have been ramped up after the Commons vote forcing Boris Johnson to ask the EU for an extension, Michael Gove has disclosed.

The Cabinet minister who is responsible for Brexit planning is reported by The Telegraph saying that Friday’s vote  triggered Operation Yellowhammer, the Government’s no deal contingency plan, because it increased the chances of Britain leaving the EU without an agreement on October 31.

Gove said he was “extraordinarily on a Sunday” chairing a meeting of a Cabinet committee to consider the next stage of the Government’s exit preparations and preparedness for a no deal Brexit.

“As a result of that vote we can’t guarantee that any extension will be granted and therefore it is my responsibility, my departmental and constitutional responsibility is to prepare for all eventualities,” he told Sophy Ridge on Sunday on Sky News.

“The risk of leaving without a deal has actually increased because we cannot guarantee that the European Council will grant an extension and that is why I will later today be chairing a Cabinet committee meeting.”

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