Monday 30 July 2018 12:03 pm | Updated: Friday 24 May 2019 7:49 pm

Number 10 rubbishes reports that army is on Brexit standby

Number 10 has rubbished reports that the army has been put on standby in case the UK crashes out of the European Union without a deal.

The Sunday Times this weekend claimed the military were ready to be deployed in the event of a no deal Brexit, with helicopters and army trucks prepared to transport medicines to people in isolated communities across the UK.

But the Prime Minister's official spokesman stressed there were "no plans to involve the army in a no deal scenario".

He added: “I can’t be any clearer or firmer than that. I don’t know where the speculation came from but there are no plans."

Number 10 has also confirmed that publication of official no deal guidance – around 70 separate technical papers setting out advice to businesses and consumers – has been pushed back until the end of the summer and beginning of autumn.

Although Brexit secretary Dominic Raab had indicated these papers would be published throughout recess, the official line is that they will now be made public on two days towards the back-end of August and into September.

Former Brexit minister Steve Baker, who is an active member of the pro-Brexit European Research Group, tweeted this was "a damaging delay we can ill afford".

He added: "The government should get on with releasing these papers as soon as they are ready so people and businesses can see the sober and accurate facts of the government's preparedness."