Thursday 17 January 2019 12:11 pm | Updated: Monday 03 June 2019 3:36 am

TfL working with Heathrow and London City airports to plan for no-deal Brexit

Transport for London (TfL) is working with Heathrow and London City airports to mitigate the impacts of a no-deal Brexit, Sadiq Khan has said.

London mayor Sadiq Khan said TfL was concerned that London could become clogged with heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) if the port of Tilbury is used more than Kent to carry traffic.

Earlier this month the government carried out its own pretend traffic jam in Kent to rehearse for a no-deal Brexit. The staged scenario, in which 89 trucks took part in a staged no-deal trial, was widely mocked.

Kent County Council has itself warned that it will have to hold up to 10,000 HGVs on a routine basis if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

At mayor's question time this morning Labour assembly member Tom Copley asked what contingency plans TfL had in place for the impact that a similar scenario could have on London's roads and how it might affect the flow of goods and medicines into the city.

The mayor first quipped that the the government "can't even organise a traffic jam in Kent and do it properly" before moving on to the fact that TfL was looking at the roles Heathrow and London City airports as well as King's Cross St Pancras could play to ensure that the foods and other supplies that HGVs bring into the UK can continue to reach London.

He also said TfL was working closely with deputy mayor for fire and resilience Fiona Twycross on how to mitigate the effects of a no-deal Brexit.

However, when asked by Copley whether Khan might have to create more storage facilities in London due to the loss of just-in-time supply chains, Khan replied: "I don't think so…but we'll have to wait and see."

The prospect of a no-deal Brexit, in which the UK would leave on terms set by the World Trade Organisation, is drawing ever closer following the historic defeat of Theresa May's Brexit deal in parliament earlier this week.