Andrew Adonis was speaking on Good Morning Britain after no deal planning documents were leaked to the Sunday Times, illustrating a stark scenario for Britain. The documents from Operation Yellowhammer suggested the UK would face medicine, food, fuel and water shortages, as well as delays at the borders which could last days. But Richard Bacon, presenting ITV the show with Ranvir Singh, questioned whether or not the use of strong comparisons was necessary or whether it just increased the scaremongering.
“I don’t know who leaked it, but it was their patriotic duty to,” Lord Adonis said.
“This was a government document which assessed we are about to head over a cliff as a country.
“It’s absolutely right, in the exact the same way Winston Churchill was giving details of military unpreparedness in the 1930’s, it is absolutely right we are doing the same about what is going to be an absolute national catastrophe if this is allowed to happen!”
Claire Fox replied: “What we’ve got to bear in mind as well, so much of the attack at the moment doesn’t take into account a much bigger threat we face at the moment.
“If we don’t deliver this, there’s going to be a democratic crisis unparalleled. And we’ve nearly seen that and I think that’s underestimated.”
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But Bacon asked: “With your point, there are certainly credible arguments about it reducing the countries growth, the projections, they are perfectly reasonable they are not mad projections.
“But do you not worry you overstate your case?
“When you say the economy will be ‘destroyed’, bringing up the Second World War, when you bring up teenage suicide, don’t you lose the argument when you make these massive comparisons? Rather than detail of what needs to happen?”
Lord Adonis replied: “Well it’s the cumulative detail which of course will be devastating for the country.
“This country depends upon trade, people’s jobs depend on us being able to sell our goods abroad.
“If you do something that dramatically impacts your capacity to sell your goods abroad, if you do that, it does do phenomenal damage to your economy and way of life. It’s perfectly right for us to be pointing that out.”
It comes after Lord Adonis has suggested a no-deal Brexit is Britain’s way of ‘self-harming’.
Those watching the segment at home took to Twitter to discuss the arguments which were put forward by the guests on GMB earlier today.
One said: “@GMB Full on trying to scare people.”
“Spot on @Fox_Claire if it’s not delivered this time & the false scaremongering continues we will have no democracy left in this country just look at what’s happening in France let alone Hong Kong.”
Good Morning Britain airs weekday mornings at 6am on ITV.
