U.K. puts out ‘no-deal Brexit’ notices, signaling it’s willing to walk away from talks

The U.K. government on Thursday published advice for British businesses on how to prepare for an abrupt and messy break with the European Union, a move aimed at underscoring to Brussels that it is serious about walking away from talks if it doesn’t get a satisfactory deal.

But the documents — 25 in all, covering subjects as diverse as how to handle nuclear materials to organic-food labeling — also highlight the risks, costs and complexity of suddenly bringing down the curtain on more than 40 years of economic integration without a deal in place, an outcome neither side says it wants.

The first batch of a planned 80 “technical notices” comes at a time of heightened concern that Britain could leave the EU in March next year without a formal agreement on what happens next — an outcome economists and policy makers say would likely cause severe economic disruption.

The government said Thursday that it will ensure “the U.K. will be ready from day one in all scenarios,” but policy analysts and industry experts say Britain won’t have the necessary infrastructure or staff to be ready to cope with a host of new requirements such as border controls, customs inspections or regulatory approval processes.