Britain’s military has set up a team in a nuclear bunker beneath the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to prepare for a no-deal Brexit.

Some 3,500 troops were being held “at readiness” to aid in contingency plans if the UK leaves the European Union (EU) without an agreement in place, a spokesperson said.

The mission, dubbed Operation Redford, was activated at the beginning of the week. It could see the armed forces working to transport food, fuel and other essentials around the UK.

The bunker, which sits underneath the main MoD building in Whitehall, has been used by the armed forces in wartime and during responses to national disasters such as flooding.

A spokesperson for the MoD said: “We are always willing to support wider government planning for any scenario, and we have committed to holding 3,500 troops at readiness to aid contingency plans. We will consider any requests from other government departments if they feel defence capability could contribute to their no-deal planning.”

Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Show all 15 1 /15 Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Pork There will be tariffs on pork in order to protect British farmers Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Cheese There will be tariffs in place on some cheeses including €22.10/100kg of cheddar, €19.10/100kg of processed cheese and €18.60/100kg on some blue cheeses Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Milk There will be no tariffs in place on milk Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Car Parts There will be no tariffs on car parts imported from Europe PA Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Cars However finished cars will face tariffs of 10.6% Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Alcoholic drinks There will be no tariffs on alcoholic drinks - except on some rums due to ingredients used in their distilling process Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Beef There will be tariffs on beef in order to protect British farmers Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Fish There will be no tariffs on many types of fish including cod, haddock, salmon and sea bass Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Fruit and vegetables There will be no tariffs on almost all fruit and vegetables Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Chocolate There will be no tariffs on chocolate or other cocoa products Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Poultry There will be tariffs on poultry in order to protect British farmers Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Ceramics There will be some tariffs in place on ceramis Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Steel There will be no tariffs on steel Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Coal There will be no tariffs on coal Getty Tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit Lamb/Mutton There will be tariffs on the meat of sheep in order to protect British farmers Getty

It comes as the EU looks set to offer to delay Brexit until 22 May, as long as MPs approve Theresa May’s withdrawal deal in a House of Commons vote next week.

The proposed extension is five weeks short of the 30 June date the prime minister requested on Wednesday, and it would ensure the UK is no longer a part of the EU during the upcoming European Parliament elections.

However, if MPs turn down Ms May’s agreement for a third time, several EU leaders have warned the UK could face a no-deal Brexit on 29 March.

French president Emmanuel Macron said only a short “technical” extension was available and said if MPs reject the agreement “it will guide everybody to a no-deal for sure”.

Describing the UK as being in a “political crisis”, Mr Macron said: “There needs to be a profound political change if there is to be an extension which is anything other than technical.”

Luxembourg’s prime minister Xavier Bettel compared said the negotations were "a bit like Waiting for Godot. But Godot never came so I hope this time they will come.”

He added: “At the moment, there are more non-options on the table than options."