Brexit Readiness: Operation Yellowhammer

Antoinette Sandbach Excerpts

Wednesday 25th September 2019 Commons Chamber

[Michael Gove]

I have just updated the House on the many, many steps that we have taken in order to ensure that we are better prepared.

[Antoinette Sandbach (Eddisbury) (Ind)]

On 19 August, I tabled a question asking the Minister to publish his no-deal planning, so I am very grateful for his invitation to MPs to attend his Department to view that. On 9 September, I received an answer to that question saying that due to Prorogation it was not possible to respond. I have also asked that the up-to-date Yellowhammer document be published and that each version of it be published. The written answer to that question was the same—that due to Prorogation it was not possible to respond. Will he now commit to publishing the various versions of Yellowhammer?

[Michael Gove]

I am very sorry that the hon. Lady’s questions were not answered. We will and we have published extensive information about our preparations for exit, and I would be more than happy to direct her to those. However, I would stress that Yellowhammer—a reasonable worst-case scenario—is just one aspect of the preparations that we have undertaken, and it would be wrong to think that it was the only thing that the Government were concentrating on.