* Official documents set out "no-deal" risks
* Minister says document is "worst-case" plan
* Report says UK will face fuel, food, drug shortages
* 85% of lorries "may not be ready for French customs"
* "Protests could break out across the UK"(Adds Merkel, fresh Gove comment)
By Kate Holton and William James
LONDON, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Britain will face shortages offuel, food and medicine if it leaves the European Union withouta transition deal, according to leaked official documentsreported by the Sunday Times whose interpretation wasimmediately contested by ministers.
Setting out a vision of jammed ports, public protests andwidespread disruption, the paper said the forecasts compiled bythe Cabinet Office set out the most likely aftershocks of ano-deal Brexit rather than the worst-case scenarios.
But Michael Gove, the minister in charge of coordinating"no-deal" preparations, challenged that interpretation, sayingthe documents did set out a worst-case scenario and thatplanning had been accelerated in the last three weeks.
The Times said up to 85% of lorries using the main Channelcrossings may not be ready for French customs, meaningdisruption at ports would potentially last up to three monthsbefore the flow of traffic improved.
The government also believes a hard border between theBritish province of Northern Ireland and the Republic ofIreland, an EU member, will be likely as plans to avoidwidespread checks will prove unsustainable, the Times said.
"Compiled this month by the Cabinet Office under thecodename Operation Yellowhammer, the dossier offers a rareglimpse into the covert planning being carried out by thegovernment to avert a catastrophic collapse in the nation'sinfrastructure," the Times reported.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson's office said it did notcomment on leaked documents. But Gove said it was an olddocument that did not reflect current preparedness.
"It is the case, as everyone knows, that if we do have ano-deal exit there will inevitably be some disruption, somebumps in the road. That's why we want a deal," Gove toldreporters.
"But it is also the case that the UK government is far moreprepared now than it was in the past, and it's also importantfor people to recognise that what's being described in thesedocuments... is emphatically a worst-case scenario," Gove added.
A government source blamed the leak on an unnamed formerminister who wanted to influence negotiations with the EU.
"This document is from when ministers were blocking whatneeded to be done to get ready to leave and the funds were notavailable," said the source, who declined to be named. "It hasbeen deliberately leaked by a former minister in an attempt toinfluence discussions with EU leaders."
NO TURNING BACK
The United Kingdom is heading towards a constitutionalcrisis and a showdown with the EU as Johnson has repeatedlyvowed to leave the bloc on Oct. 31 without a deal unless itagrees to renegotiate the Brexit divorce.
Yet after more than three years of Brexit dominating EUaffairs, the bloc has repeatedly refused to reopen theWithdrawal Agreement.
Brexit minister Stephen Barclay said on Twitter he hadsigned a piece of legislation which set in stone the repeal ofthe 1972 European Communities act - the laws which made Britaina member of the organisation now known as the EU.
Though his move was largely procedural, in line withpreviously approved laws, Barclay said in a statement: "This isa clear signal to the people of this country that there is noturning back (from Brexit)."
A group of more than 100 lawmakers wrote to Johnson callingfor an emergency recall of parliament to discuss the situation.
"We face a national emergency, and parliament must now berecalled in August and sit permanently until October 31 so thatthe voices of the people can be heard, and that there can beproper scrutiny of your government," the letter said.
Johnson will this week tell French President Emmanuel Macronand German Chancellor Angela Merkel that the Westminsterparliament cannot stop Brexit and a new deal must be agreed ifBritain is to avoid leaving the EU without one.
Merkel said during a panel discussion at the Chancellery:"We are prepared for any outcome, we can say that, even if we donot get an agreement. But at all events I will make an effort tofind solutions - up until the last day of negotiations."
Johnson is coming under pressure from politicians across thepolitical spectrum to prevent a disorderly departure, withopposition leader Jeremy Corbyn vowing to bring down Johnson'sgovernment to delay Brexit.
It is, however, unclear if lawmakers have the unity or powerto use the British parliament to prevent a no-deal departure,likely to be the UK's most significant foreign policy move sinceWorld War Two.(Editing by Gareth Jones and David Holmes)