The news that the Scottish Government could repurpose the old ferry port at Stranraer as an emergency car park for delayed lorries in the event of a no-deal Brexit, highlights just one of the examples of chaos that will be caused by the UK leaving the EU, according to South Scotland MSP Colin Smyth.

The move was announced by Deputy First Minister John Swinney in the Scottish Parliament today (8 October) when he told MSPs that there were concerns about traffic flows with Northern Ireland if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Commenting on the news Colin Smyth said, “The very fact that the Scottish Government are having to look for space to stack delayed lorries highlights just one of the chaotic outcomes of a no-deal brexit. It’s clear that a no-deal brexit will cause major hold ups between Cairnryan and Northern Ireland and that will be bad news for business and the region’s economy. What is so frightening is the fact the UK Government seem determined to exit the EU without a deal, no matter how damaging that will be for jobs. Their latest proposals for a deal are deliberately designed to make a deal almost impossible, and proposals such as emergency car parks to stack lorries held up are no longer a nightmare scenario but a likely one”.

The proposal was set out Scottish government has set out in a paper of preparations for the impact of a no-deal departure published by the Scottish Government today.