Brexit: Government appointment of minister to oversee food supplies prompts alarm over shortages

Appointment comes amid rising concern over the prospect of a no-deal Brexit

A ministerial appointment to oversee the protection of food supplies through the Brexit period has prompted alarm over shortages, and claims of how "catastrophic" the withdrawal process has become.

It comes amid rising concern over the prospect of Theresa May failing to reach an agreement with negotiators in Brussels and the ability to secure the passage of any deal through the Commons.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), said the Conservative MP, David Rutley, was handed the brief earlier in September.

The department adds that Mr Rutley - a former executive at Asda and PepsiCo - will have responsibilities including EU exit readiness and the "food chain".

Labour's shadow environment secretary, Sue Hayman, said the appointment served to "highlight both the potential catastrophic damage and increasing likelihood of a no-deal scenario".

Seb Dance, a Labour MEP, also described the appointment as "bonkers" while the former Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron, a support of the pro-EU campaign Best for Britain, said: "We might laugh at this Dad's army approach but it's deadly serious.

"The government is panicking because they what no deal will mean for Britain, even now they still won't be honest with the British people about what it will mean for them," he continued.

The SNP leader, Nicola Sturgeon, said: "I think this is news, actually, that would have made most people across the UK really stop in their tracks.

"The Tory stewardship of Brexit and the UK as a whole is now proving so catastrophic that they've had to appoint a minister for food supplies, which is the first time there's been such a post held since World War Two.

"How has it come to this situation? It's shameful and should be a source of shame for a long time to come to every single member of the Conservative Party."

Leaders in the food and drink industry have previously raised concerns that without a free trade deal reached with the EU, supply chains could be disrupted after March 2019, when the UK formally leaves the bloc.

And today, new research suggests that food retailers could face a £9.3bn cost if Theresa May fails to reach a deal, with higher tariffs and customs costs hitting supermarkets across the country.

The report by Barclays Corporate Banking claims that without a deal, food and drink from the EU would face an additional 27 per cent tariff under World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules - compared with three per cent and four per cent on non-food items.

The Labour MP, Susan Elan Jones, who is a supporter of the People's Vote campaign for a second public vote on any final Brexit deal, added: "Whether it's Theresa May's Brexit or Jacob Rees-Mogg's no-deal Brexit, there is a growing and legitimate fear that Brexit will be a disaster for food security and farming.

"Our farmers work very hard but its simply going to be impossible for them to fill in all the gaps in food supply that Brexit will bring.

"Not only that, but Brexit threatens our farmers' access to key markets, making farmers in Britain less viable and so threatening our food supplies twice over. No wonder that our farmers' unions are so concerned."

The newly-appointed minister said he was honoured to join Defra at "such an important time", adding: "I am determined to ensure that we fully realise the opportunities of leaving the EU, building on the hard work and excellent effort of my new colleagues, so we can fulfil our pledge to leave our environment in a better state than we found it and deliver a truly green Brexit."