A British cabinet minister has accused the European Commission of "intransigence" and warned there is a "60-40" chance of a no-deal Brexit.
International Trade Secretary Liam Fox made the comments in an interview with The Sunday Times.
He argued: “I think the intransigence of the commission is pushing us towards no deal.
“We have set out the basis in which a deal can happen but if the EU decides that the theological obsession of the unelected is to take priority over the economic wellbeing of the people of Europe then it’s a bureaucrats’ Brexit — not a people’s Brexit — [and] then there is only going to be one outcome.”
Mr Fox claimed it was up to other member states whether they wanted "the EU Commission’s ideological purity to be maintained at the expense of their real economies".
He added: “I think it’s essential that no deal looks credible to the EU".
He acknowledged the British proposals have never been done before, but also claimed that the response of the EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier "makes the chance of no deal greater".
His comments follow a warning by the governor of the Bank of England on Friday that the risk of a no-deal Brexit is "uncomfortably high".
As negotiations continue between Britain and the UK, high-level British government ministers have been meeting with European officials.
On Friday, Theresa May met with French President Emmanuel Macron as part of efforts to persuade European leaders to back her government's Brexit proposals.
PM @Theresa_May holds talks with President @EmmanuelMacron in his summer home at Fort de Bregancon on Friday. pic.twitter.com/3ant9i11OQ
— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) August 3, 2018
