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18th Nov 2018

Army make plans to deploy troops if UK crashes out of the EU without a deal

James Dawson

Officers who oversee Operation Temperer, which makes plans around army deployment following a terror attack, have been drafted in

At least 20 army officers have reportedly been ordered to make contingency plans for troops being deployed on the streets of the UK in the event of a no deal Brexit.

A team made up of officers who usually oversee Operation Temperer, which makes plans to provide soldiers to help police in the aftermath of a terror attack, were asked to step up their operation around an exit from the European Union on World Trade Organisation terms last week, according to a Times army source.

It is reported that as many as 10,000 members of the military could be deployed on British streets to make sure medical supplies reach NHS hospitals, as well as helping ease pressure on ports and keeping order on the streets. There are also plans to create a lorry park near an army training centre in Folkestone to ease traffic in Kent.

The news comes after Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter confirmed on the Marr Show last week that troops are on standby for a no deal Brexit.

He said: “What we always do is make sensible contingency plans for all sorts of eventualities.

“At this stage I think people are confident there will be a deal, if there’s not one then we stand ready to help in any way we can.”

On Wednesday, Theresa May announced a draft proposal for Britain’s withdrawal from the EU, however, the would-be deal has led to a number of senior Tories resigning their positions, throwing the chances that it will be passed through parliament into doubt.