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Fears that Britain’s flagship museums will be forced to scrap major exhibitions after Brexit can be revealed today.

Famous names including the V&A and the Natural History Museum believe they could be hammered with import taxes, the loss of key staff and huge cuts in vital research funding.

Some think they could be forced to temporarily close their doors in the case of a botched Brexit deal.

The concerns are revealed in memos supplied to the Government by leaders of some of the country’s most famous cultural institutions that attract millions of tourists each year.

Released under Freedom of Information, they disclose the potential cost to Britain’s heritage and “soft power” influence from a bungled departure from the European Union.

Key revelations are:

The V&A warned it could face a bill for £25 million due to new import taxes on exhibits, potentially threatening the viability of major exhibitions. It said it faced a cut in visitor numbers and was fearful of staff shortages

The Natural History Museum faces the loss of £2 million in research funding and predicts a decline of tourist visits of up to 15 per cent, wiping out up to £2.4 million in revenues. It also warned of a negative emotional message and the potential departure of 150 staff.

The Royal Museums Greenwich estimated the shipment costs of art treasures to double in the short term and feared difficulty in replacing 70 staff from EU countries.

The National Museums Liverpool was anxious about losing skills and filling specialist vacancies, leading to lower visitor satisfaction, and believed visa and customs issues would increase costs and hamper programmes. In addition to the impact on cultural events, it feared is commercial side would be undermined.

V&A director Tristram Hunt told the Evening Standard: “The big one for us is how a no-deal Brexit would affect putting on exhibitions and taking our exhibitions around the world.

“Our ability to hold blockbuster exhibitions while having to pay import duties would be really problematic.

“Our ability to promote British soft power and influence through exhibitions like David Bowie Is and Pink Floyd would be seriously compromised.

“That’s bad for the London visitor economy. Four in five visitors to London come for the culture, and they are drawn by great museums and world class exhibitions. It is also potentially damaging for British influence abroad.”

Former Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw, now backing the People’s Vote campaign for a fresh referendum, said the memos made clear that Theresa May’s Brexit deal would present the great museums with major risks and consequences.

“The mess created by the Brexit elite in Westminster is now casting a long shadow over the future of our great museums,” he said.

“Millions of people every year visit them to discover and enjoy some of the most extraordinary collections assembled on this planet. Now, because of the ideological and half-baked way Brexit has been pursued, our museums face new costs, staff shortages, and may even have to close to the public.

“Our museums are brilliant because they reflect an open outward-looking vision of the world where Britain has always thrived.

“Whether you voted Leave or Remain two years ago, no one voted for this. No wonder that more and more members of the public are demanding a People’s Vote.”

Before the 2016 referendum senior Brexiteers dismissed concerns raised by major museums as unfounded.

An open letter signed by Leave-backers including Boris Johnson insisted there was “more than enough money” from cutting EU fees to spend on museums - despite the infamous Vote Leave bus that said the money should go to the NHS.

After the vote, former Culture Secretary John Whittingdale said the sector thrived because of the language, heritage and tax system, saying: “None of this is changed.”

But the memos show that these anxieties have solidified as the full complexities of Brexit, with or without a deal, have emerged in the past two years.

The V&A memo, a legal note written on September 4 this year by legal counsel, directed to DCMS, said that in a worst-case scenario “we will struggle to keep the museum open to the public in the immediate short term”.

The Natural History Museum memo, also written in September, said it was planning for the risk of a reduction in EU visitors and funding. “Uncertainty as to what any scenario would result in makes planning very difficult,” it said.

A Culture Department spokesperson said: “Like most institutions in the public and private sector, museums are taking a responsible approach to the UK's exit from the European Union, by modelling potential impacts on business operations, including workforce and visitor numbers.

"We are working closely with them to ensure they are fully supported.”

