Government allocates £2bn to Whitehall departments to prepare for no-deal Brexit

The Government has allocated more than £2 billion to Whitehall departments to prepare for a no-deal Brexit as it ramps up its preparations for crashing out of the EU without a deal.

Around £2 billion has already been allocated for Brexit preparations but the additional funding for 2019/20 will be focused on priority areas including borders, trade and security.

Twenty-five Government departments will receive additional money, with the Home Office set to receive almost one quarter of the sum – £480 million – to increase Border Force capability with “hundreds of new officers”, and to help it prepare the EU Settlement Scheme.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) will be given £410 million, HM Revenue and Customs £375 million, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) £190 million and the Department for International Trade £128 million.

Defra will use the funding to “deliver arrangements at the border and beyond to ensure uninterrupted trade in fish and fisheries products, chemicals, and agri-food” while BEIS will deliver “business stability for company law and audit, in addition to developing options for a UK global navigation satellite system”, the Treasury said.

HMRC is set to employ 3,000 additional customer service and compliance staff in operational roles to deal with increased customs activity and the Department for International Trade will use the allocation to secure “post-Brexit continuity for around 40 trade agreements”.

Chancellor Philip Hammond said: “The PM’s deal is the only way to deliver on the referendum while protecting jobs, businesses and prosperity.

“I’ve worked with departments so they have the resources to prepare as we leave the European Union, including our borders, trade policies and support for businesses. But a responsible government prepares for all contingencies and that is why we’re stepping up no deal planning.

“The Treasury has provided more than £4.2 billion for Brexit preparations since 2016. We are now allocating over £2 billion from that fund to continue and step up this work in 2019-20 as we leave the EU.”

Here is a breakdown of the allocations:

  • Attorney General’s Office – £3 million

  • Cabinet Office – £59 million

  • Competition and Markets Authority – £20 million

  • Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy – £190 million

  • Department for Culture, Media and Sport – £30 million

  • Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – £410 million

  • Department for International Trade – £128 million

  • Department for Transport – £25 million

  • Department of Health and Social Care – £50 million

  • Department for Work and Pensions – £15 million

  • Food Standards Agency – £16 million

  • Foreign and Commonwealth Office – £45 million

  • HM Revenue & Customs – £375 million

  • HM Treasury – £35 million

  • Home Office – £480 million

  • Ministry of Defence – £12 million

  • Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government – £35 million

  • Ministry of Justice – £30 million

  • Northern Ireland Office – £1 million

  • Office for National Statistics – £2 million

  • Police Service of Northern Ireland – £16 million

  • Scotland Office – £0.3 million

  • Single Intelligence Account – £3 million

  • The National Archives – £2 million

  • The Supreme Court – £1 million

  • Wales Office – £0.3 million

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