Boris Johnson admitted to Cabinet that there is a 'high chance' of no-deal Brexit
2 min read
Boris Johnson has admitted there is a "high chance" of a no-deal Brexit - despite previously claiming it was a "million-to-one" shot.
The Prime Minister came clean at a Cabinet meeting last week.
Previously-confidential notes on the get-together were released in a court case over whether Mr Johnson acted legally in deciding to prorogue Parliament.
They said: "Concluding the Prime Minister said that progress with the EU should not be exaggerated but it was substantial.
"Whilst there was a good chance that a deal could be secured, there was also a high chance that it could not. Success would require a united and determined approach."
Mr Johnson's remarks to ministerial colleagues were in stark contrast to what he said during the Tory leadership race in June.
Speaking at a hustings event, he said: "It is absolutely vital that we prepare for a no-deal Brexit if we are going to get a deal. But I don’t think that is where we are going to end up - I think it is a million-to-one against – but it is vital that we prepare."
The Cabinet documents also reveal that Mr Johnson said there were "no plans for a general election".
"This would not be right for the British people: they had faced an awful lot of electoral events in recent years," he said. "They wanted the Government to deliver Brexit and a strong domestic agenda."
But just days later, the Prime Minister called for an election on 15 October as MPs passed a bill blocking a no-deal Brexit.
However, Mr Johnson's snap election bid was defeated in a Commons vote on Thursday, and he is likely to face the same fate when he makes a second attempt on Monday.
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