Brexit news: Matt Hancock refuses to rule out deaths from medicine shortages if UK crashes out of EU with no-deal

Health Secretary Matt Hancock today publicly refused to rule out that people could die due to medicine shortages if Britain crashes out of the EU with “no deal”.

The Cabinet minister made the alarming admission after health chiefs have been warning for months of the dangers of supplies running out.

Mr Hancock is reported to have warned the Cabinet that he could not guarantee that people would not die as a result of a “no deal” arrangement.

Asked on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme about this, Mr Hancock did not deny that he said this, adding: “We need to make sure that everybody does what’s necessary if there is no deal to have the unhindered flow of medicines that people need.”

Pressed further on whether there could be fatalities if Brexit is bungled, he continued: “There is a lot of work that we need to do and we are doing. We are spending millions of pounds on this already to make sure that that is put in place.”

Presenter Nick Robinson asked him a third time if the Government got Brexit wrong, then could people pay with their lives?

Mr Hancock responded: “Well, it’s very important that we get it right....’no deal’ is not pretty. It’s very difficult for the economy and for lots of other areas like healthcare.”

Tory MP Dr Sarah Wollaston warned in The Standard on Monday that MPs should not “knowingly inflict harm” on patients with a “no deal” Brexit.