London: A no-deal Brexit could mean severe and long-lasting delays at British ports, significant electricity price hikes, medicine shortages and an increase in livestock disease, according to a secret document the UK government has been forced to publish.

There would be less fresh food and higher prices in the shops, exacerbated by potential panic buying and the lead-up to Christmas which is usually food retailers’ busiest time of year.

The document, which describes “reasonable worst-case” assumptions for a no-deal Brexit and is dated August 2, was released in response to a motion passed on Monday by the British Parliament just before it was suspended, as well as a request from a Parliamentary committee.

However the government refused to supply other documents submitted to cabinet relating to Operation Yellowhammer, the UK’s plan to mitigate the risks of a no-deal Brexit, citing cabinet confidentiality.