HOPE note hate is joining Unions and charities to warn that crashing out of the EU without a deal poses a grave risk to the entire country’s food supply.
Along with the GMB, the union for food workers and food charity sustain, we’ve written to demand Boris Johnson come clean on the potentially disastrous risks a no deal Brexit will have on UK food supply. Our letter is also being supported by former PM Gordon Brown.
The letter demands answers to nine key questions about Government preparations to cope with food shortages and price rises and the subsequent effects on families, the vulnerable, public services, the voluntary sector and workers in the food industry.
“A no deal Brexit threatens the UK’s food supply chain,” according to Gordon Brown. He added: “Imports of almost a third of our food could be subject to disruption. Uncertainty, restricted supplies and a weakened pound could raise prices. This would be a catastrophe for the food industry but also for family budgets, hospitals and those driven to food banks due to the decimation of our social security system over the last decade.
Tim Roache, GMB General Secretary is also warning about real problems for people in the event of a No Deal Brexit. “No deal is no joke – it makes no sense for working people. The risks are writ large when it comes to the food we eat. With all the talk about coups and leave promises written on the side of buses, the real detail often gets missed. It’s time for Boris Johnson to come clean.”
HOPE not hate is hosting a No to No Deal rally in Liverpool today (2 September 2019) as part of our campaign to ensure the UK doesn’t crash out of the EU with a chaos Brexit. The economic fallout would create a fertile breeding ground for the far right.
As Gordon Brown said, “Let’s stop no deal, stand up for our future and start fixing the problems really impacting people’s lives in this country.”
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The full letter to the Prime Minister
Dear Prime Minister,
The Government’s strategy of allowing the UK to crash out of the EU without a deal poses a grave risk to the entire country’s food supply – with potentially alarming consequences. There is an evident lack of preparation and commitment from the Government to prevent deterioration in the accessibility, affordability and standards of food which people in the UK currently expect.
Ministers have refused to be transparent about the risks of no deal and the damage it could do to the basic living standards of working families, the poor and the most vulnerable in our society.
Rather than relying on leaks and press speculation, we call on the Government to provide answers to the following questions:
Attempts to suspend Parliament deny citizens and their representatives the right to scrutinise how crashing out of the EU with no deal will increase the cost of living, cause hunger for the poorest and destroy many people’s lives.’
Yours sincerely,
Tim Roache, GMB General Secretary
Kath Dalmeny, Chief Executive, Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming
Nick Lowles, Chief Executive, Hope Not Hate
Alison McGovern, MP for Wirral South
Dan Carden, MP for Liverpool Walton & Shadow International Development Secretary
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