London Mayor Sadiq Khan has asked the organisation that deals with militant attacks and disasters in the British capital to assess the impact of a "no-deal" Brexit on access to medicines and food and on law and order.
Khan says he will consult with the London Resilience Forum, which plans responses to disasters such as the Grenfell Tower fire, about the implications for Britain of crashing out of the European Union without a deal, saying such a "catastrophic" outcome looked more likely than ever.
Britain is due to leave the EU in March 2019 and with time running out to secure agreement on future ties, British and European politicians are warning of the increased chances of a "no-deal" Brexit.
"Even ministers now admit that crashing out of the EU with no deal is now more likely than ever," Khan said in a statement.
"We are now left with no choice but to plan for a no-deal scenario."
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt told ITV News in an interview on Thursday that leaving the EU in a "messy, ugly divorce" would be a mistake that Britain would "regret for generations", although he tweeted on Friday to clarify he believed Britain would "survive and prosper without a deal".
Denmark's finance minister Kristian Jensen told BBC radio he believed the odds there would be no deal in Brexit negotiations were 50/50, echoing comments by Latvia's foreign minister earlier in the week.
Khan criticised the lack of engagement by the government with companies over preparations for a no-deal scenario.
The government will start sending out advice to firms about such a scenario in August and September, a British official said.
Australian Associated Press
