Brexit: Queen to be evacuated in event of no-deal, reports claim

‘Emergency plans’ to evacuate the Queen from London in the event of riots breaking out following a no-deal Brexit have been revealed.

Queen Elizabeth II attends a service at St Peter's church in Wolferton, near the Sandringham Estate. Picture: PA Wire

According to the Sunday Times, Whitehall officials have been busy drawing up proposals to get Her Royal Highness out of the capital if riots break out.

A Cabinet Office source told the broadsheet: “These emergency evacuation plans have been in existence since the Cold War, but have now been repurposed in the event of civil disorder following a no-deal Brexit.”

The scheme was originally intended to be put into action if there was a nuclear attack from the Soviet Union, and would see the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh moved to a secret location.

An ex-police officer who was previously in charge of royal protection, Dai Davies, said he expected Queen Elizabeth would be moved out of London if there was unrest.

“If there were problems in London, clearly you would remove the royal family away from those key sites,” Davies was quoted as saying.

However Jacob Rees-Mogg, a backbench Tory MP and staunch Brexit supporter, claimed the plans were unnecessary and showed officials were panicking.

He pointed to the fact that senior royals remained in London during the war.

The information comes amid further calls for Theresa May to rule out the threat of a no-deal Brexit.

Business leaders, economists, MPs and cabinet members have all warned of the disruption that could be caused to businesses and public services if the UK crashes out of the EU on 29 March before reaching a deal. Possible scenarios being planned for include food and medicine shortages, gridlocked roads and ports, and civil unrest.

On Sunday, major suppliers to hospitals and care providers said they were stockpiling food ahead of the 29 March.

Apetito and Bidfood, which between them supply food to thousands of care facilities across the UK, are making preparations to counter potential disruption.

This article originally appeared on our sister title inews.co.uk