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British government 'must operate on assumption' of no-deal Brexit - Gove

The British cabinet minister in charge of no-deal Brexit preparations has said his government "mu...
Stephen McNeice
Stephen McNeice

10.36 28 Jul 2019


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British government 'must opera...

British government 'must operate on assumption' of no-deal Brexit - Gove

Stephen McNeice
Stephen McNeice

10.36 28 Jul 2019


Share this article


The British cabinet minister in charge of no-deal Brexit preparations has said his government "must operate on the assumption" that the UK will crash of the EU without a deal.

Michael Gove has been commenting after being tasked by Boris Johnson with 'turbo-charging' hard Brexit planning.

The new British prime minister asked Mr Gove to "mobilise the civil service to deliver this outcome, should it become necessary".

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Mr Johnson has insisted he's eager to get a deal before October 31st.

However, he also said any deal must involve the abolition of the Irish backstop from the withdrawal agreement - a demand which has been rejected by Irish and EU leaders.

Writing in the Sunday Times today, Michael Gove warns that no-deal is a "very real prospect".

He said: "While we are optimistic about the future, we are realistic about the need to plan for every eventuality.

"The EU’s leaders have, so far, said they will not change their approach -it’s the unreformed withdrawal agreement, take it or leave it."

He added: "We still hope they will change their minds, but we must operate on the assumption that they will not."

Meanwhile, UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said his party will do everything they can to stop a no-deal Brexit.

He told Sky News: "No deal we'd oppose, and we think people should have a final vote on it.

"There will be a second referendum to make a choice between whatever deal is arranged and what the public want... if we're in power yes of course the same thing would apply."

He also said any deal that damages the Good Friday Agreement is "simply not going to work".

Mr Corbyn has previously said his party will campaign for remain in any second referendum on a Tory Brexit deal - but he indicated he'd have to wait and see what stance to take if a Labour government secured a new deal after a successful election.

Opinion polls

Opinion polls published in the UK today indicate the Tories have enjoyed a boost in support following Mr Johnson's election as party leader.

A number of polls showed the Conservative party as the most popular - with Nigel Farage's Brexit party losing support in the wake of Mr Johnson's election.

There was a mixed showing for Labour - with two polls showing minor bumps in support for the main opposition party, and two showing small decreases.

Mr Corbyn insisted he isn't afraid of facing the new prime minister in a general election.

He said: "We'll go out there and we'll make our case.

"I don't get involved in personal abuse, I don't make any personal abuse, I don't do personal - as far as I'm concerned the issues are too serious."

Main image: Michael Gove. Picture by: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire/PA Images

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