Thread by @uk_domain_names

The Government claims to be doing a lot of things to prepare for Brexit (and has £4.2 billion to spaff around). But as Brexit Day gets closer, it's more and more clear its core plan consists of *telling others* (supermarkets, pharmaceutical firms etc.) to stockpile.

For instance, in a written answer a couple of days ago, the Government admitted it has not itself purchased *any* medicines as a Brexit contingency.

In other words, when things go wrong they'll sit back and say "Nothing to do with us - we told them to be ready!"

If that's the case, where's the money going? Most of it is likely to be vanishing into salaries and overheads, given there are over 10,000 civil servants working exclusively on Brexit. And then there's ferry contracts, feasibility studies for a Galileo replacement, etc.

But there's very very little stuff that would actually be useful in an emergency. No Government warehouses filled with stocks of essential goods, nothing like that.

Hardly surprising the Government requested 3,500 troops be called up, and the MoD is war-gaming Brexit scenarios.

Because at the end of the day, you can't (yet) eat civil servants, so if shortages hit the Government's own preparations won't count for much.