New photo Brexit: Theresa May puts Britain on ‘no deal’ alert

Cabinet clashed bitterly over Brexit today as ministers rowed over what happens next if Theresa May's plan fails.

In bruising exchanges, the PM is said to have joined forces with Jeremy Hunt and Andrea Leadsom to 'squash' calls for MPs to vote on a range of options.

But there were also sharp words as Brexiteer ministers including Mrs Leadsom urged a 'managed' no-deal if Mrs May's package cannot be pushed through Parliament.

Justice Secretary David Gauke - who has threatened to quit if the government tries to leave the EU without an agreement - is understood to have told colleagues: 'The responsibility of Cabinet ministers is not to propagate unicorns but to slay them'.

The brutal spats came as Cabinet signed off a dramatic escalation of planning for no deal - with billions of pounds being spent and advice set to be issued to millions of businesses.  

But doubts have been raised about whether it is already too late - with claims that only a third of the money allocated so far has been spent, and ships to carry emergency supplies of medicine and food have already been booked.

The Cabinet session was the last of the year as Mrs May limps towards a much needed Christmas respite.

Despite overwhelming opposition from Tories, the DUP, Labour, the SNP and Lib Dems, Downing Street still hopes that MPs will come round to her Brexit plan during the break.

Chancellor Philip Hammond (right) is allocating another £2billion to no-deal plans. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling (left) is facing claims he has not pushed ahead with preparations

Theresa May (pictured in the Commons last night) is limping towards the Christmas recess

Penny Mordaunt openly endorsed the idea in a speech to the Carlton Club last night, saying there should be a 'smooth glidepath' to no deal

But with just 101 days to go before the UK leaves and Parliament deadlocked, the prospect of the UK crashing out is becoming ever more real. 

Ministers led by Sajid Javid, Matt Hancock and Andrea Leadsom have been clamouring for contingency plans to be stepped up.

Cabinet is expected to be presented with three options this morning - escalating preparations with £2billion more funding, keeping planning at the same level, or dropping the idea of no-deal altogether and hope that Mrs May's deal is accepted by MPs.

They are set to agree with the PM that the state of readiness must be ramped up.

But Mr Hammond is said to be frustrated that only a third of the estimated £2.2billion funds previously allocated have been spent so far.

What no deal plans are already in place?  

Chancellor Philip Hammond has allocated a total of £4.2billion to no deal plans since 2016 - all of which is due to have been spent by exit day.

Some of the areas where the money has gone include: 

• 300 extra frontline officers for Border Force, plus 1000 staff to tackle border issues


• 1,300 extra staff at the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs


• Reforms to the Competitions and Markets Authority to ensure it can also act as the UK State Aid regulator 


• Drawing up more than 100 no deal 'notice' advising different sectors how to prepare for possible problems, including at the border 


• Replacing regulatory agreements currently dependent on the EU with UK versions in areas like nuclear cooperation 

Fingers are being pointed about delays in chartering ferries that could transport emergency supplies.

Allies of Transport Secretary Chris Grayling blame the Treasury for delays in providing funding, but Mr Hammond's supporters say the department has left it too late and there is not much capacity left in the market. 

One Cabinet source told MailOnline the government 'cannot put this off any longer'. 

'We must recognise that no-deal now has to be the central assumption. It could happen by design or by accident, and we have to be ready,' they said. 

Around £500million is expected to be ploughed into the Home Office to deal with potential problems at the border.

Customs systems are set to benefit from another £25million in a bid to ensure the ports can function in no deal. 

Environment Secretary Michael Gove is set to have £400million to spend on agriculture, fisheries and food-related policy areas.

Trade Secretary Liam Fox will spend £100million hiring trade negotiators around the world in case a raft of new trade deals are needed urgently. 

But deep splits in Mrs May's team have been erupting into the to the open, with senior figures openly discussing what happens when the package thrashed out with Brussels is defeated.

Amber Rudd yesterday urged a series of votes on Brexit 'options' - and hinted at support for a second referendum by saying nothing should be 'off the table'. 

The idea would ‘test the will of parliament’ on outcomes such as a Norway-plus and Canada-style arrangements, but the results would be non-binding. 

Ms Rudd's position is thought to be shared by Chancellor Philip Hammond, Business Secretary Greg Clark and Justice Secretary David Gauke among others.

However, another faction including Penny Mordaunt and Ms Leadsom are pushing for a 'managed' no deal. That could involve the UK paying the EU for a transition period, but then leaving with no future arrangements agreed. 

Ms Mordaunt openly endorsed the idea in a speech to the Carlton Club last night, saying there should be a 'smooth glidepath' to no deal. 

However, several Remain-minded ministers including Mr Gauke are ready to quit if the government's goal becomes leaving without an agreement.

In the Commons yesterday, Mrs May gave her strongest warning yet about the potential impact of a no-deal Brexit, saying it would ‘risk the jobs, services and security of the people we serve’.

Treasury minister Liz Truss (left) and Home Secretary Sajid Javid (right) have been pushing for no deal preparations to be escalated

Trade Secretary Liam Fox has been supporting Mrs May's plan but urging her to get tweaks

Amber Rudd (left with Welsh Secretary Alan Cairns today) and Greg Clark (right) have urged a series of votes on Brexit 'options' if Mrs May's Brexit deal is defeated in the Commons

But she said that, with the fate of her deal in the balance, the Government had a duty to step up preparations for the possibility of a no-deal Brexit.

The move came as it emerged Brussels is preparing a ‘basic’ offer to keep flights in the air and money flowing for up to nine months in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

Brexit-backing International Trade Secretary Liam Fox and International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt will urge Mrs May today to hold a free vote on her deal in the hope of peeling off a significant number of Labour MPs to cancel out the Eurosceptic Tories committed to voting it down. 

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson, Home Secretary Sajid Javid and Treasury Chief Secretary Liz Truss are pushing Mrs May to step up talks with the EU in the hope of securing a concession that will satisfy the Democratic Unionist Party, which props up the minority Tory Government.

Ms Mordaunt last night suggested she would back a ‘managed no-deal’, in which the UK would offer to pay £20billion in return for a 21-month transition period to give time to negotiate a looser trade arrangement.

Mrs May yesterday ruled out a second Brexit referendum, saying it would do ‘irreparable damage’ to Britain, fuelling divisions. EU officials will unveil the full extent of the plan to limit the damage of a ‘cliff-edge’ Brexit tomorrow. 

Brexiteers could seize on it as evidence the bloc is prepared to accept a ‘managed no-deal’.

From border chaos to drug shortages: The doomsday warnings about a no-deal Brexit 

THE M20 TURNING INTO A 'GIANT LORRY PARK'

One of the most vivid warnings about no-deal is that a 13-mile stretch of the M20 could become a giant lorry park for years. 

Some 10,000 freight vehicles pass through Dover daily, and the port handles one-sixth of the UK’s total trade in goods.

But imposing checks on them could cause massive tailbacks on both sides of the Channel, and spark shortages. 

Britons could also need insurance for Channel Tunnel disruption if there is no-deal Brexit, the government warned today.  

Guidance on rail says the government is still struggling to agree 'mutual recognition' with the EU to avoid disruption to services such as the Eurostar should there be no deal by March. 

MEDICINE SHORTAGES

Contingency plans have been put in place to fly in medical supplies as the NHS braces for six months of chaos if the UK crashes out of the EU.

Crucial supplies could also be diverted to ports away from the Channel, and some drugs may even be rationed.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock has revealed the NHS is laying out on huge numbers of refrigeration units to try and keep supplied usable. 

BLACKOUTS IN NORTHERN IRELAND

Northern Ireland faces the threat of electricity blackouts if the UK crashes out of the European Union without a deal.

Negotiators are trying to secure an agreement with Brussels that the current single electricity market would remain intact even if exit talks collapse.

But if the pledge was not secured, customers on both sides of the border could be hit.

The single electricity market involves 'significant' flows of power between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Government technical papers said there was a 'risk' that the single electricity market 'may not be able to continue'.

If that happens, the Northern Ireland Utility Regulator, an energy watchdog, will 'take action to seek to ensure continued security of supply and market stability', they warned.

MARKET PANIC

Bank of England governor Mark Carney set out one of the most blood-curdling outcomes - while making clear it was a worst case. 

He suggested the size of the economy could plunge by 8 per cent in less than a year - further and faster than the financial crisis of 2008.

At the same time, the unemployment rate would rise 7.5 per cent, meaning hundreds of thousands losing their jobs.

Inflation would surge 6.5 per cent, sending prices in the shops surging House prices could plunge 30 per cent, while commercial property prices are set to fall 48 per cent.

The pound would fall by 25 per cent to less than parity against both the US dollar and the euro.

 

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News Pictures Brexit: Theresa May puts Britain on ‘no deal’ alert

You don’t have to pack away your bikini just because you’re the wrong side of 20. These body-beautiful stars reveal their secrets to staying in shape and prove you can smoulder in a two-piece, whatever your age. Read on and be bikini inspired!

TEENS
Hayden Panettiere
Size: 8
Age: 18
Height: 5ft 1in
Weight: 8st

To achieve her kick-ass figure, Hayden – who plays cheerleader Claire Bennet in Heroes – follows the ‘quartering’ rule. She eats only a quarter of the food on her plate, then waits 20 minutes before deciding whether she needs to eat again.

Hayden says: “I don’t have a model’s body, but I’m not one of those crazy girls who thinks that they’re fat. I’m OK with what I have.”

Nicollette says: “I don’t like diets – I see it, I eat it! I believe in eating healthily with lots of protein, vegetables and carbs to give you energy.”

kim cattrall

Size: 10-12
Age: 52
Height: 5ft 8in
Weight: 9st 4lb

SATC star Kim swears by gym sessions with Russian kettle bells (traditional cast-iron weights) and the South Beach Diet to give her the body she wants. To avoid overeating, Kim has a radical diet trick – squirting lemon juice on her leftovers – so she won’t carry on picking.

Kim says: “I am no super-thin Hollywood actress. I am built for men who like women to look like women.”
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