Former law chief warns state of emergency will be declared if UK quits EU with no deal

0 Comment(s)Print E-mail Xinhua, July 12, 2018
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LONDON, July 12 (Xinhua) -- Britain would declare a state of emergency if it quitted the European Union (EU) with no deal by the end of February or early March, former law chief Dominic Grieve warned.

The former attorney general gave his warning at an event organized by The Independent newspaper Wednesday night which brought together leading figures from both sides of the Brexit divide.

His predicted scenario came as Prime Minister Theresa May's government prepared to release later on Thursday a lengthy white paper spelling out the details of the relationship it wants with Brussels when Britain leaves the EU.

Since May released a three-page summary of her Brexit proposals at her country house Chequers last Friday, there have been five resignations from her team.

Brexit Secretary David Davis and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson were the first to announce they were quitting May's front-bench team, criticizing May's negotiating stance.

Grieve told the audience at The Independent event if Britain walked away from the Brussels negotiations with no deal by the end of February or early March, there would be a declaration of a state of emergency in the country.

"Actually, ordinary life will grind to a halt. That is the extent to which our lives are intermeshed with the lives of our European partners, and that is what will happen if there is no deal on anything," he said.

Political commentators say the white paper is the most important document produced since Britain voted in the 2016 referendum to leave the EU. Enditem

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