UK civil service has over 2,000 Brexit-related vacancies as no-deal disruption looms

The UK civil service has more than 2,000 vacancies for Brexit-related jobs, it has been revealed, stoking fears of understaffing as a possible no-deal departure from the European Union (EU) looms.

According to the Financial Times, officials have been asked to avoid taking holidays in January and February as Whitehall faces one of its most critical challenges to date.

The 2,318 shortages come at a time of possible widespread disruption if London fails to agree a trade deal with Brussels. They have just days to secure a post-Brexit trade deal.

Mike Clancy, general secretary of the Prospect trade union told the FT: “How is it possible that we are now three weeks from the end of the transition period and vital staffing requirements are still unmet?”

“COVID may be playing a part but Brexit has been on the horizon for four years so there really is no excuse.”

Clancy added that ministers were to blame for the shortages and said civil servants had been preparing for a no-deal Brexit for more than a year.

“If those political errors lead to chaos in the new year, then the blame must be laid firmly at the door of the politicians, not dumped on dedicated public servants,” he said.

Although many jobs remain vacant, some 16,000 people were either hired or moved into Brexit roles since 2016, the FT said.

READ MORE: No-deal Brexit could push up food and drink costs by £3bn

The UK and EU have set a deadline of Sunday 13 December to conclude trade talks after months of negotiations yielded no results. Prime minister Boris Johnson warned on Thursday evening that there was a “strong possibility” of talks ending in a no deal Brexit.

The prime minister told British citizens and businesses to "make proper preparations" for the scenario, which would come into effect on 1 January 2021.

He added that Brussels' current offer "isn't right for the UK" and that a no-deal divorce - what he described as a trading relationship like the one Australia has with the EU - would still be "very good".

Johnson chaired a meeting on Friday to “take stock” on Britain's preparedness for a no-deal scenario along with senior minister Michael Gove, who is responsible for Brexit planning.

While the UK formally left the bloc on 31 January 2020 it will fully leave the EU at the end of this year on 31 December.

The two parties are at loggerheads over fishing rights, economic fair play and dispute settlement. Neither side has been ready to concede on these sticking points.

Watch: Why is fishing so important in Brexit talks?