No-deal contingency plans

The EU makes up 15% of the world's total imports/exports. It is the top exporter of commercial services and the second biggest for merchandise. Only China beats the EU in merchandise, no one else even comes close.

Britain has the seventh largest economy in the world (we were fifth before the Brexit-effect started kicking in). This is reliant on being a big exporter. We sit right next to the rest of the EU, the largest market on the planet, so it is hardly surprising that half our exports go to the EU27.

This make a no-deal Brexit a bit of a concern. The EU27 have published their plans - and they don't seem to have based them on Brexiteer promises ("easiest trade deal ever", "they need us more than we need them", "we can do sector deals with each country separately", etc, etc), unsurprisingly the plans are designed to protect the EU27's vital interests.

Under the EU27 plans we would not be allowed to make 'mini-deals' with individual countries; British airlines could only over-fly EU27 countries - no landing, thank you - and airlines majority owned in Britain will count for this, so Iberia and Aer Lingus will be under the hammer; full border checks will be required - so ports will be overwhelmed (expect the motorway lorry parks to be operating); firms providing financial services in the EU27 will need to set up a branch in one of the EU27 member countries; other financial services (e.g. Euro-clearing) will have to move completely to the EU27; road haulage firms will be under threat of having to apply for new licences for their trucks under the international quota system - it is estimated that firms could lose up to 95% of their current licences.

The government is making emergency plans - drug stockpiles and rationing, the army on standby, motorways ready to be turned into lorry-parks.

Some UK firms are also making plans. FreestyleXtreme is an online business which makes 60% of its sales in the EU27. It has a turnover of £17 million and is featured as a case study on the Department of International Trade's website. So how will Brexit affect them?

Actually, the company is firing most of its staff and relocating to Germany, having already spent hundreds of thousands of pounds preparing for Brexit.

The Federation of Small Businesses says only one in six of our small businesses have even started planning for Brexit. Given that our own government has no idea what is going to happen in a few weeks' time, can you blame them?