Boris Johnson has ordered the Ministry of Defence to conduct tabletop exercises simulating a quadruple crisis this winter, involving a second coronavirus wave, a serious flu outbreak, Brexit disruption and flooding, according to reports.
The exercises, to be completed by the end of August, will involve Whitehall departments and local authorities. The planning comes amid fears that a second wave of Covid-19 could overwhelm the NHS, with the UK already recording at least 45,000 deaths from the virus.
Lieutenant General Douglas Chalmers, head of military strategy and operations at the MoD, confirmed the plans to the House of Lords public services committee. He said the military routinely runs such exercises and will support the departmental and local resilience forum tabletop exercises.
The Brexit transition period is due to end on December 31, with potential food shortages and port queues if no trade deal is reached. Downing Street has refused to consider extending the transition. Additionally, the UK faced major flooding earlier this year from Storms Ciara and Dennis, and six of the ten wettest years on record have occurred in the past two decades.
