What is really going on in politics? Get our daily email briefing straight to your inbox Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Food and medicine shortages following a No Deal Brexit could lead to prison riots - a damning document has revealed.

The document, written by consultancy firm Ernst & Young in January, was seen by Politico after an unredacted version was published on a government website.

The subject of the contract was the "successful mitigation of risks of EU Exit".

Sections of the document were not properly redacted meaning the warnings of the contract's authors could still be read.

In the event of no deal, it said: “Not progressing these actions plans could have severe consequences for MoJ Operations, e.g. unrest in prison because of undersupply of foods or medicines.”

“A clear understanding of the ‘real’ operational impact of a ‘no deal’ is necessary to prioritize mitigation actions.

"Refining the focus of planning efforts is imperative to ensure that the most critical contracts can continue undisrupted post-EU Exit,” the contract reads according to Politico.

(Image: PA)

It warns of "severe consequences" if measures were not carried out to mitigate against the risk.

Former Justice Minister Phillip Lee told the website: “It’s clear that no deal would be disastrous for our country, and it would be a democratic outrage for any prime minister to try and force this on us without the consent of the people. Botched redactions like this just show how desperate the Government has become."

He added: “No one voted for unrest in prisons, shortages of food supplies or any of the other indignities that could result from a disastrous no deal. This is yet another example of how the Brexit being delivered is a million miles away from the one that was being promised in 2016."

But civil servants are keen to stress that a cross-government approach is reportedly in place to ensure that the supply of medicine and food will be uninterrupted - even if Britain crashes out without a deal.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “The Government has responsibly been preparing for ‘no deal’ for the last three years, including to ensure the continued supply of food and medicines in such an event.

“The very purpose of this contract and our wider planning is to minimise disruption to the justice system.”