GAVIN Williamson MP reassured the people of Dudley that they have nothing to fear from a no-deal Brexit as he visited Dudley College to celebrate their ambitious expansion plans.

The Education Secretary’s insistence that Britain will prosper ‘whatever happens' came as the government was this week forced to publish documents relating to Operation Yellowhammer, outlining possible outcomes if Britain crashes out the EU without a deal.

Food shortages, low supplies of medicines, civil unrest and long delays at ports were some of the prospects Britain could face, if a deal is not secured before the UK’s departure on October 31.

When asked by the News if the people of Dudley should be alarmed by the prospect of a no-deal Brexit, the MP for South Staffordshire said: “Not at all, Britain is one of those nations that whatever happens, we are going to thrive, we are going to excel in the world.”

Mr Williamson MP campaigned for remain in the 2016 referendum but has since supported Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plan to leave the bloc on October 31- with or without a deal.

Commenting on the current Brexit impasse that has rocked Westminster, Mr Williamson reiterated his belief that Britain should leave and hit out at opposition parties for trying to 'block the will of the British people'.

He said: "What the British people want to see is ensure that we leave the European Union. The Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats, the SNP, should stop trying to block the will of the British people when they voted to leave the European Union, they want to see Britain leave. The people of Dudley voted overwhelmingly for Britain to exit the European Union.

"The Labour Party should stop trying to keep Britain in the European Union, they should get behind the government and make sure that we deliver our exit from Europe."

The Kinver MP visited Dudley College on September 12 to celebrate the town securing millions of pounds of investment to develop a University Centre and Institute of Technology, one of only 12 in the country, which will provide technical degrees.

Celebrating the plans, he said: “Dudley should feel incredibly proud that they have secured this investment and are going to have the very best of technical vocational learning, making sure that businesses right across the Dudley and the Black Country have the types of skills they need to compete across the world.

“This is a sign of confidence that the government has in Dudley and the quality we have in Dudley as well.”

He was joined by both Dudley MPs Ian Austin and Mike Wood on the visit, to celebrate the announcement that Dudley is set to receive £25m towards the creation of a University Centre to complement other new developments in the area including the Institute of Transformational Technologies (IOT), which work began on in July this year.

Mike Wood MP welcomed the plans and was also optimistic that a potential no-deal Brexit will not negatively impact educational and employment opportunities in Dudley.

He said: "There will still be a lot of co-operation between European countries whether we are out of the EU or outside the EU, whether we leave the EU with a deal or without a deal, we will still be looking to co-operate, to work together with educational partners in Europe, in North America, in Asia, right across the world because it’s mutually beneficial for students and for our academic research to do so."

The visit also marked the college now teaching the newly-formed T-Level qualification, which Mike Wood hailed as crucial to the 'future prosperity of the region'.