Boris Johnson slapped down by Brexit department over ‘no plan’ claim
2 min read
Boris Johnson’s claim that ministers are not preparing a contingency plan for Britain dropping out of the EU without a Brexit deal has been rejected by a fellow minister.
The Foreign Secretary told MPs last month that ministers had "no plan" in place for leaving the bloc without striking a trade deal because Britain was going to "get a great deal".
"It is manifestly in the interests of both sides of the Channel to get a great free trade deal and a new deep and special partnership between us and the European Union, and that is what we are going to achieve," he added.
However in response to a letter from Labour MP Chuka Umunna - whose specifically cited Mr Johnson's claims - Brexit Minister Steve Baker said the Government was preparing for “a range of possible outcomes”.
“In relation to the ‘no deal’ scenario, any responsible government would prepare for a range of possible outcomes from the negotiation, and this is what we are doing,” he wrote.
"This will ensure that departments are prepared both for a negotiated settlement but also for the unlikely scenario in which no mutually satisfactory agreement can be reached.”
Mr Umunna, a leading backer of anti-Brexit group Open Britain, said the letter proved Mr Johnson’s claim was “codswallop”.
“This is just another example of Ministers contradicting each other over vital details of our exit from the European Union," he said.
“When the Foreign Secretary apparently has no idea what the Brexit Department is doing, how can we expect him to be capable of negotiating for Britain on the world stage?
“The Foreign Secretary needs to make clear to MPs that his statement on 11 July was incorrect.
"Instead, he and David Davis should be open with Parliament and the public about what their plan for a no-deal Brexit is, and what they think it would cost the British economy in lower trade and fewer jobs.”
Theresa May has repeatedly said that "no deal is better than a bad deal" when it comes to the Brexit negotiations.
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