Amazon’s UK boss Doug Gurr has warned there will be “civil unrest” if Britain leaves the EU without a trade deal.
Gurr issued the stark warning at a meeting organised by new Brexit secretary Dominic Raab, according to The Times.
He told guests at the meeting, including representatives from some of Britain’s biggest businesses, that the worst-case scenario formed part of Amazon’s contingency planning around Brexit.
A spokesman for Amazon did not confirm or deny Gurr’s comments, but said: “Like any business, we consider a wide range of scenarios in planning discussions so that we’re prepared to continue serving customers and small businesses who count on Amazon, even if those scenarios are very unlikely.
“This is not specific to any one issue – it’s the way we plan for any number of issues around the world.”
In his first TV interview on BBC’s The Andrew Marr Show, Raab accused Brussels of acting “irresponsibly” by claiming there were no arrangements in place for how UK and EU expats would be treated under a no-deal Brexit.
Raab said: “I think that’s a rather irresponsible thing to be coming from the other side. We ought to be trying to reassure citizens on the Continent and also here.
“This is obviously an attempt to try and ramp up the pressure.”
Raab is due to return to Brussels for further talks on Thursday, at a time when Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has urged a “serious stepping up” of negotiations in order to avoid a no-deal Brexit.
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