Government radio adverts aimed at helping the public prepare for Brexit have been condemned as “pathetic” by pro-EU campaigners.
The adverts went on air on commercial radio from Tuesday as the government discounted the possibility it might delay the UK’s exit from the EU beyond 29 March.
The adverts do not specifically mention the prospect of the UK crashing out of the bloc without a deal, but campaigners say fears about such a scenario are implied.
In one advert, actors with different regional accents ask: “Will my travel be affected when we leave the EU? What about documents for driving? Will mobile roaming change? Do I need to renew my passport earlier than planned?”
In another, an actor with Dutch accent asks: “I’m an EU citizen living in the UK. How will this affect me?” Another with a Welsh accent asks: “How will exporting my goods be affected?”
These questions are not answered. Instead, a narrator directs people worried about Brexit to a new government website called “Prepare for EU Exit”, which in turn diverts users to various no-deal planning papers and other documents published by the Department for Exiting the European Union.
One radio advert says: “You might also have questions about how leaving the EU on 29 March will affect you. Find guidance and up to date information on gov.uk/EUexit.”
The new government webpage, purporting to help guide businesses and individuals on preparations they need to make in the event of no deal, provides little new information.
A Briton living in Germany, for example, clicking on one of four categories about crashing out of the EU will find themselves on a landing page offering 21 items of information, including rules about driving in Germany and what they need to do to bring a pet into the country.
Similarly, businesses can click through a myriad options depending on whether they import, export or store data in the EU, but the final destination is the no-deal notices page launched by the government last September.
The Labour MP Jo Stevens, who backs the pro-EU group Best for Britain, said the campaign was playing on the fears of the public.
She said: “This is the latest pathetic attempt to stoke public fear by raising the spectre of a no-deal Brexit. No responsible government should ever countenance no deal – parliament certainly won’t – so the government should stop pretending it will happen.”
Stevens said the website aimed at answering questions about Brexit “looked like it was made by some children in their lunch break”.
She added: “All in all, this dreadful ad campaign is a metaphor for Brexit – terrible from start to finish.”
The adverts come a day after a live rehearsal of an emergency traffic system to prevent congestion at Dover in the event of a no-deal Brexit was described as “a waste of time” by drivers participating in the test.
