Thread by @SamCoatesTimes

There are problems with Brexit in Whitehall.

Here’s a small tale of government indecision, prevarication and “no deal” neurosis with big implications. 2 qs:

1. Have you heard of the Road Haulage and truckers bill🚚

2. Until you do: Is “no deal” planning **really** happening🐌

The government isn’t keen on you paying too much attention to the haulage bill. This is policy across whitehall - depts told not to highlight its significance

But without it - & we crash out of the EU and rely on WTO rules - will we have food on shop shelves
🚚🍏🥕🥩🚚❓

“No deal” planning - true “no deal” planning rather than DexEU press releases - requires legislation
⚖️
But no major pieces of “no deal” legislation have hit the Commons yet

There have been small bits and pieces (nuclear safeguards for EG). But nothing big.

Until now

This is it

The Gvt acknowledges internally that the Road Haulage Bill is the first proper piece of legislation for “no deal” planning that they’ve put forward

Except they haven’t put it forward. It was meant to come early Jan but it’s now deadlocked, No10 confirm

⏳⌛️⏳⌛️

There are two big problems with the Road Haulage bill - which in theory could and should would apply to every piece of “no deal” legislation the government might want to pass. It’s why Brexiteers like Jacob Rees Mogg are paying attention to this bill.

🔎🔎🔎

First civil service analysis for the bill makes “no deal” look unattractive.

Britain’s 75,000 hauliers can use EU roads because of EU membership. If we crash out they rely on a permit system for “3rd countries”

Officials think we will get 1,200 permits, devastating the industry

So the first reason the bill is causing tension is some Brexiteers in government think this analysis too gloomy.

Some Brexiteer spads are attacking civil service pessimism (sounds familiar!)

Others think it make “no deal” look awful thereby undermining our negotiating hand

🤦🏻‍♂️

The other tension is that Ministers and Officials close to the negotiation also think Haulage bill should be paused because:

1. We will get a deal so why waste time and money on this bill
2. The transition negotiations are delicate so why antagonise Brussels

🙄

A government source summed it up

Did I mention Jacob is watching

A No10 source said there was no date for the bill and there was still a lot of work to do on it.

Meanwhile the Department for Transport quote for my story reinforces my claim above that inside gvt they don’t want you to pay any attention to it to this bill

Oh, and a quick reminder from my excellent colleague @GraemePaton that the haulier bill is not the only thing going wrong with the DfT’s post Brexit planning

This Twitter thread is an expanded version of a story from today’s paper. If it it struck you as interesting then please do consider subscribing to The Times.

Delays to no-deal bill raise fears that Theresa May is going soft

thetimes.co.uk/article/5f64db…