Brexit: Military steps up preparations in case of no deal
Operation Redfold will direct some 3,500 military personnel who have been put on standby for a no-deal scenario.
By Deborah Haynes, foreign affairs editor, and Beth Rigby, deputy political editor
The armed forces have activated a team in a nuclear bunker under the Ministry of Defence to step up preparations for a no-deal Brexit, Sky News can reveal.
The crisis management operation - dubbed Operation Redfold - began on Monday and will further ramp up its activities from next week.
It will direct 3,500 military personnel who have been put on standby to help the government if required if Britain leaves the European Union next Friday without a withdrawal agreement.
The Redfold mission is the military dimension of cross-Whitehall no-deal contingency preparations, called Operation Yellowhammer, headed by the Cabinet Office.
The military could be used to help transport food, fuel and other goods into the country and around the UK. A 200-strong team of military personnel is ready to drive fuel tankers to petrol stations if required.
The nuclear bunker, called Pindar, is deep underground, beneath the MoD's main building in Whitehall. It is the facility used by the armed forces during wars and national emergencies.
The MoD already had 100 military planners helping with no-deal Brexit planning at other departments, including the Cabinet Office and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
https://news.sky.com/story/brexit-military-steps-up-preparations-in-case-of-no-deal-11671941