Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what contingency planning has been conducted by her Department on matters of national security in the event that no deal is reached on the UK leaving the EU.

A future partnership between the UK and EU on security and law enforcement issues is in the interests of both sides and we approach negotiations anticipating success. We do not want or expect a no deal outcome. However, a responsible government should prepare for all potential outcomes. That is exactly what we are doing across the whole of Government.

The Home Office leads on EU Exit planning across a number of justice and home affairs areas, including Immigration and Security and Law Enforcement cooperation. Home Office EU Exit contingency planning is well underway, and this will continue as an ongoing process until the EU Exit negotiations are complete.

In relation to national security, Article 4(2) of the Treaty on European Union sets out that national security remains the sole responsibility of Member States rather than the European Union.