Millions of diabetes patients, including Theresa May herself, could be “seriously disadvantaged” if supplies of insulin are affected by a no-deal Brexit, the chair of the UK medicines regulator has said.

In the latest warning over disruption if Britain crashes out of the EU, Sir Michael Rawlins said the UK imports “every drop” of insulin, a vital medication used by some 3.7 million people to manage the chronic condition.

The prime minister has spoken in the past about how she regularly injects insulin to cope with type 1 diabetes.

Sir Michael, who chairs the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), said officials must ensure drugs do not run out if the government fails to secure a deal with Brussels.

It comes as Matt Hancock, the new health secretary, admitted plans were in motion to stockpile drugs, medical devices and blood products in the event of a no deal, as speculation over such a scenario grows.

The Independent has launched a campaign for a Final Say referendum on the Brexit deal, which has garnered more than 300,000 signatures since its launch on Tuesday.

Speaking in a personal capacity, Sir Michael told the Pharmaceutical Journal: “There are problems, and the Department for Exiting the EU and the Department of Health and Social Care need to work out how it’s going to work.

“Here’s just one example why: we make no insulin in the UK. We import every drop of it.

“You can’t transport insulin around ordinarily because it must be temperature-controlled.”

Spoiler:

 Darkjim wrote:
This is just one of the things that was so pitifully small minded about the Brexit vote. Anyone thinking of voting to separate us from the continent should have taken the time to go to Dover, or Hull or wherever, and stand and watch and just fething marvel at what it takes to get 30% of our food across the Channel, to feed roughly 20 million people. Maybe get some slight grasp of what flag waving means in the face of global trade.

Future War Cultist wrote:Thanks for the responses guys. They’re much appreciated.

I’ve just got off the phone to them and it’s all cancelled, and I’ll get the money back in 3-5 working days. Or at least that’s what they say. Their email address was a dud. That...concerned me a bit actually.

You know what really got me? I used to do a similar job to hers; mobile phone retention sales. In mine the people came to me rather than vice versa but it was still hell and still dependant upon meeting sales targets. Absolute nightmare, gave it up after 3 months. So I’m sympathetic to such types and they can ponce on that.

Maybe this all worked out for the best though. She got her sale. What happened afterwards isn’t her problem. I’ll get my money back. Everyone’s happy!

Darkjim wrote:Come and live here (well, don't, obviously, just a turn of phrase ), there is no wow any more. nothing is surprising.

The easiest deal ever, we hold all the cards … to 50 years to see any benefit and soldiers filling supermarkets.

I'm trying an emergency ration pack (thanks very much for the link SeanDrake ), to see what they're like. Not needed to find out in the past 47 years, but due to the stellar decision made by Brexiteers, my family might be about to find out what a food shortage is actually like.

Of course it might not happen, there are still a few months for those who have been completely incapable of achieving anything (or infact even agreeing what they want), in 2 years so far to save the situation.

Give yourselves a big hand Brexiteers, this is your party.

 Darkjim wrote:
This is just one of the things that was so pitifully small minded about the Brexit vote. Anyone thinking of voting to separate us from the continent should have taken the time to go to Dover, or Hull or wherever, and stand and watch and just fething marvel at what it takes to get 30% of our food across the Channel, to feed roughly 20 million people. Maybe get some slight grasp of what flag waving means in the face of global trade.



Automatically Appended Next Post:
Can I thank our American cousins for the thousands of useful emergency survival lists on the internet. Sadly several items, not least assault rifles, are hard to go get hold of here, but I've put together a list of what B&Q (hardware store) can manage.

SeanDrake wrote:


Lol no assault rifle but I do have a sword and more realisticly I just ordered a pound of lead shot. Going to put half or so in my crutch and top it of with sealant and I will not be using the res to make a blackjack as that is illegal.

 Whirlwind wrote:

SeanDrake wrote:


Lol no assault rifle but I do have a sword and more realisticly I just ordered a pound of lead shot. Going to put half or so in my crutch and top it of with sealant and I will not be using the res to make a blackjack as that is illegal.

Well don't confuse it with your crotch. That could be a painful mistake!

Anyway back to politics. I see that there is a suggestion that we should all get ID cards not just EU citizens. Now I'm opposed to the idea for all parties. First comes voluntary ID cards, then mandatory, then illegal not to carry one. Slow, but steady steps to whittle awya personal freedoms, all on the back of the excuse of pandering to bigotry.

 Da Boss wrote:
Hunt has been telling the French and the Germans to tell Barnier to concede things to the UK or else it will all be very bad.

Aside from the fact that the French are among the hardest of hardliners, this is unbelievable because it shows that Hunt still does not understand that the EU is not controlled by France and Germany, all the other members get a say and can veto any deal.

 Iron_Captain wrote:

 Whirlwind wrote:

SeanDrake wrote:


Lol no assault rifle but I do have a sword and more realisticly I just ordered a pound of lead shot. Going to put half or so in my crutch and top it of with sealant and I will not be using the res to make a blackjack as that is illegal.

Well don't confuse it with your crotch. That could be a painful mistake!

Anyway back to politics. I see that there is a suggestion that we should all get ID cards not just EU citizens. Now I'm opposed to the idea for all parties. First comes voluntary ID cards, then mandatory, then illegal not to carry one. Slow, but steady steps to whittle awya personal freedoms, all on the back of the excuse of pandering to bigotry.

It is already illegal to not carry an ID here in the Netherlands. It is far from being a big infringement on personal freedom. it is just something you put in your phone or wallet and never think about again.

 Iron_Captain wrote:

It is already illegal to not carry an ID here in the Netherlands. It is far from being a big infringement on personal freedom. it is just something you put in your phone or wallet and never think about again.

13-mile lorry park may last 'many years' after Brexit, impact reports reveal
Brexit impact reports from local councils, obtained by Sky News, reveal exasperation at government planning for March 2019.

The government's "temporary solution" to potential traffic chaos on Kent's roads after Brexit will have to last "many years" as a permanent solution will not be in place until "2023 at the earliest", Sky News can reveal.

According to internal Brexit impact reports from two Conservative-run local councils, the conversion of four lanes of the M20 motorway into a 13-mile (20km) long lorry park could be in place for a number of years after the UK's departure from the EU.

The first preparations for the scheme, known as Operation Brock, have just begun, with hard shoulders about to be strengthened to sustain the weight of hundreds of parked articulated lorries.

Such a scenario is anticipated should either the Channel Tunnel or cross-Channel ferry routes see new customs or regulatory checks after Brexit.

In the internal Brexit impact report from Dover District Council, obtained by Sky News, some exasperation is expressed at the slow pace of central government preparedness.

This includes the lack of long-planned permanent lorry parks as an alternative to Operation Stack, which led to widespread disruption in Kent after disruption in Calais in 2015.

A "permanent solution will not be in place for many years... the 'temporary' traffic-management system Operation Brock will be in force for some time", writes the council in the report from last month.

In a separate report, on the same subject, from Kent County Council, it is anticipated the planning application for a major permanent lorry park will not even be considered until next year "and will not be delivered until 2023 at the earliest".

Kent County Council has told the government this "is not only frustrating but potentially damaging to the UK economy as well as disrupting the daily life of Kent residents and visitors".

Operation Brock involves the four lanes of the southbound carriageway of a 13-mile stretch of the M20, between Maidstone and Ashford, being converted into a lorry park for 2,000 vehicles.

The northbound carriageway will then have a contraflow system of two lanes each for ordinary traffic in both directions.

The government has suggested the need for this disruption is not part of its Brexit plans, and the UK's departure from the EU was not mentioned in the written statement announcing the plan or the consultation document.

This does not appear to be correct, however.

Local businesses have been told it will take up to two weeks to activate the plan, unlike the few minutes Operation Stack requires following news of disruption in Calais.

The only plausible use for such a system is in anticipation of a structural increase in customs and regulatory checks at the UK border following Brexit in March next year.

Kent County Council also point out in its report that "Brock" stands for "Brexit Operations Across Kent".

Local industry sources claim privately that the government did not want its plans for a potential "no deal" Brexit associated with the need to turn a large swathe of the main motorway link with the Continent into a lorry park.

Both councils are concerned about whether it will be delivered on time. It needs to be delivered before any potential change to customs arrangements in March 2019.

The Dover report states "there does not appear to be a plan B".

Meanwhile, Kent County Council says it is "concerned" the plans "do not appear to be far enough advanced to be ready in time for the UK's exit from the EU" and the scheme, in any case, will still cause "massive disruption to both strategic and local traffic".

This is the basis of some of the warnings from government in recent days about the risk to food supplies and the need to stockpile medicines, medical devices and blood plasma products.

The Dover document is especially important because the council is the Port Health Authority responsible for food safety checks required post-Brexit at the Port of Dover and the Channel Tunnel.

The report questions whether it is "fully understood" by central government that the Port Health Authority will not have powers "to physically stop vehicles"; that officials "in the large are blind as to what is entering the port"; the layout of the port means there is "nothing to stop vehicles leaving" Dover; there are "inadequate facilities to inspect and store food" and "no facilities to park vehicles waiting for examination".

Such checks have not occurred since 1992 at these sites and there is a shortage of vets to provide them.

The government hopes its Chequers plan for Brexit, including a common rulebook for goods and agri-food, will avoid the need to instigate new border checks.

But they will be difficult to avoid in a no deal scenario, and the EU has vowed to enforce them; even if - as Sky News reported earlier this year - the government's secret plan is to waive almost all such checks on goods coming in to the UK.

The Dover report expresses some uncertainty about even in which country such checks will be required.

It says: "Current systems are based on juxtaposed controls being conducted in France and England... once outside the EU such [juxtaposed] controls may cease".

"We cannot begin to surmise... the substantial workforce required to provide a service at the juxtaposed positions," it adds.

The government was due to report in detail on its contingencies for a no deal Brexit in the following weeks.

This has been delayed after some public concern over the prospect of Brexit stockpiling, according to government insiders.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt will visit Paris and Vienna on Tuesday to warn "it is time for the EU to engage with our proposals, or we potentially face the prospect of a no-deal by accident, which would be very challenging for both the UK and E

The government has suggested the need for this disruption is not part of its Brexit plans, and the UK's departure from the EU was not mentioned in the written statement announcing the plan or the consultation document.

This does not appear to be correct, however.

Local businesses have been told it will take up to two weeks to activate the plan, unlike the few minutes Operation Stack requires following news of disruption in Calais.

The only plausible use for such a system is in anticipation of a structural increase in customs and regulatory checks at the UK border following Brexit in March next year.

Kent County Council also point out in its report that "Brock" stands for "Brexit Operations Across Kent".

How well is Brexit going? Use the Brexit Barometer: Are prominent supporters of Brexit falling over themselves to suggest our current state is someone else’s fault or are they scrambling to take credit for it?

 Whirlwind wrote:

 Iron_Captain wrote:

It is already illegal to not carry an ID here in the Netherlands. It is far from being a big infringement on personal freedom. it is just something you put in your phone or wallet and never think about again.

OK so you can be fined, arrested etc for just being somewhere where you want to be (excepting some sensitive areas) simply because you don't have an piece of plastic? How is that not a restriction on personal freedom? The ability of the state to track where you are at any one time simply because they can ask you to evidence that ID?

What is the purpose of an ID card then?

 Disciple of Fate wrote:

No, they can only ID you if they have a genuine reason, such as public unrest or when you might have witnessed a crime or have been involved in an accident (so usually when they are already fining you or giving assistance).

Also how does the state track you? If anything they have way better methods to track you like the Dutch travel card or your bank pass instead of randomly checking IDs in a region hoping you're in there.

The use of it is huge, you need it in education, healthcare and banks etc. Without an ID card you would basically be locked out of vital services.

 Whirlwind wrote:

 Disciple of Fate wrote:

No, they can only ID you if they have a genuine reason, such as public unrest or when you might have witnessed a crime or have been involved in an accident (so usually when they are already fining you or giving assistance).

If you aren't carrying a random piece of plastic then surely that would be a criminal offence and as such the only reason they need is a suspicion that you aren't carrying that ID on you? Assuming I am understanding you, that you always have to carry that ID on you. As such the state (as in the force acting on its behalf).

 Whirlwind wrote:

Also how does the state track you? If anything they have way better methods to track you like the Dutch travel card or your bank pass instead of randomly checking IDs in a region hoping you're in there.

In that you can always be asked for that ID which gives the state (or those acting on it) the ability to ask you to identify you even when it is none of their business. That is reducing the ability of yourself to be anonymous in your actions if you wish to be. That's a significant restriction on your personal freedom of choice.

 Whirlwind wrote:

The use of it is huge, you need it in education, healthcare and banks etc. Without an ID card you would basically be locked out of vital services.

Why should you need a piece of plastic to use an education service? Is a child banned from an proper education because they don't have a piece of plastic? Why should you need a piece a plastic to determine whether you can access the healthcare system? If you, for example, have a contagious and lethal strain of the flu should you be denied treatment simply because you aren't on a state's register?

 Whirlwind wrote:

 Disciple of Fate wrote:

No, they can only ID you if they have a genuine reason, such as public unrest or when you might have witnessed a crime or have been involved in an accident (so usually when they are already fining you or giving assistance).

If you aren't carrying a random piece of plastic then surely that would be a criminal offence and as such the only reason they need is a suspicion that you aren't carrying that ID on you? Assuming I am understanding you, that you always have to carry that ID on you. As such the state (as in the force acting on its behalf).

Also how does the state track you? If anything they have way better methods to track you like the Dutch travel card or your bank pass instead of randomly checking IDs in a region hoping you're in there.

In that you can always be asked for that ID which gives the state (or those acting on it) the ability to ask you to identify you even when it is none of their business. That is reducing the ability of yourself to be anonymous in your actions if you wish to be. That's a significant restriction on your personal freedom of choice.

The use of it is huge, you need it in education, healthcare and banks etc. Without an ID card you would basically be locked out of vital services.

Why should you need a piece of plastic to use an education service? Is a child banned from an proper education because they don't have a piece of plastic? Why should you need a piece a plastic to determine whether you can access the healthcare system? If you, for example, have a contagious and lethal strain of the flu should you be denied treatment simply because you aren't on a state's register?

 Mr Morden wrote:
Why do we need a ID card?

I always thought that one reason we have not had them is we don;t trust our government with that sort of power.

 Kilkrazy wrote:

 Mr Morden wrote:
Why do we need a ID card?

I always thought that one reason we have not had them is we don;t trust our government with that sort of power.

I don't think "we" -- i.e. the UK citizenship -- need ID cards. I think we can lean on the fact that all EU citizens except UK and Eire citizens already have ID cards.

This is probably the best plan, since it is clear that our current government can't be trusted to find its arse in the dark with both hands, or fight its out of a wet paper bag, let alone organise something as complicated as a piss-up in a brewery.

If we did have ID cards, though, we should be very careful about turning into the sort of ghastly hard-line dictatorship we see in countries like Denmark, Belgium, or Italy.

 Mr Morden wrote:
Why do we need a ID card?

I always thought that one reason we have not had them is we don;t trust our government with that sort of power.

 Cruxeh wrote:


You seem to misunderstand a few things about how that "piece of plastic" works in practice, at least in the Netherlands. In the Netherlands, a police officer can not suddenly stop you and demand to see your ID card. The police officer has to have an actual need to know the identity of the person he is dealing with, and he has to be able to show this need existed afterwards. There have even been given clear examples of when a police officer can ask you for your ID, and when they can not. And no, a "suspicion" that you are not carrying an ID does not warrant a police officer asking you to show it.

 A Town Called Malus wrote:

 Mr Morden wrote:
Why do we need a ID card?

I always thought that one reason we have not had them is we don;t trust our government with that sort of power.

What power? The government already has all of the data which would be on an ID card anyway through people's driving licenses, birth records, the election register etc.

 A Town Called Malus wrote:

 Mr Morden wrote:
Why do we need a ID card?

I always thought that one reason we have not had them is we don;t trust our government with that sort of power.

What power? The government already has all of the data which would be on an ID card anyway through people's driving licenses, birth records, the election register etc.

If we did have ID cards, though, we should be very careful about turning into the sort of ghastly hard-line dictatorship we see in countries like Denmark, Belgium, or Italy