The M20 could become a semi-permanent lorry park if the UK crashes out of the EU without a deal, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has suggested.

HGVs headed for Dover port would be held on the busy motorway as part of emergency plans if no trade or travel conditions were agreed to by March 2019, he said.

The minister played down fears of a "no deal" Brexit by saying the UK could fall back on "Operation Stack" - the police initiative that sees trucks "park" on the M20, essentially creating 3,000 "spaces".

It is used if the port - which only has 550 parking spaces for HGVs - is disrupted by weather, strikes or power failures.

Mr Grayling was pressed over what would happen to trucks travelling into Europe if Brexit negotiators failed to reach a deal.


"We already have provision in place for Operation Stack around the border at the moment," he told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show.

Image: Chris Grayling said plans would be in place for March 2019

"We have the whole of Manston Airfield available to use if Operation Stack is needed when the Channel ports don't function.

"We're now doing detailed work to look at how we take those arrangements forward in 2019 if we need them.

"We have got contingency plans in place for delays around the lorry ports right now but what we're working on is making sure we've got developed plans for 2019.

He insisted: "We will have those in place."

Image: Operation Stack is used to ease congestion at Dover port

Mr Grayling also said a "no deal" Brexit would mean UK residents would buy more home-grown food, and farmers would increase produce.

And he said no-one had expected the negotiations with Brussels to be done in "half an hour", dismissing shadow chancellor John McDonnell's suggestion that there was enough support among MPs to block a "no deal" scenario.

Labour's Barry Gardiner later attacked the Government for getting the Brexit talks wrong "right at the start" because it "failed to set the right tone".

He told Sky News the "incapacity" of a Cabinet divided by soft and hard Brexiteers was now being revealed.

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"No deal" dominated the headlines after questions over Chancellor Philip Hammond's planning for the scenario in next month's Budget.

Mr Hammond, who apologised for branding Brussels negotiators "the enemy", insisted at a select committee appearance: "We do have planning for all scenarios, including a no-deal scenario."