Hancock says UK on brink of Brexit breakthrough as 'penny dropping in EU' on no deal risks
HEALTH SECRETARY Matt Hancock said the UK is "more likely than not" to clinch a Brexit deal with the European Union as member states grow aware of the potential risks a no deal would have on them.
Brexit deal 'now more likely than not' claims Matt Hancock
The Tory frontbencher claimed recent talks with officials in Brussels suggest the British Government is to secure a Brexit withdrawal agreement before the October 31 deadline. Talks with the European Union jammed over the bloc's refusal to remove the controversial backstop from the deal negotiated last year. But Mr Hancock insisted concern over the potential impact a no deal Brexit could have on the continent are helping to soften the EU's position.
Speaking to LBC, the Health Secretary said: "I think it’s more likely than not now that we will leave the EU on October 31 with a deal.
"The penny is starting to drop on the continent that, since they don’t want a no deal exit, the way to avoid it is for the EU to offer a deal that can get through Parliament.
"We’ve heard a lot of discussion from the EU side about the impact of no deal for them – for some EU countries, it’s very significant. They can avoid that by making the concessions that are necessary."
Senior executives from 23 German carmakers on Monday issued a plea to Brussels to strike an agreement with the UK to avoid the potentially catastrophic consequences of a no deal scenario.
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The carmakers insisted the lack of an official deal would significantly cost the industry on both sides of the Channel, with the introduction of further border checks and red tape causing companies to lose £50,000 for every minute of delay.
Mr Hancock continued: "A couple of months ago, I was saying we needed to make changes to the withdrawal agreement and lots of people said, ‘but that will never happen.’
"Now, nobody is saying we can’t reopen the withdrawal agreement - the debate is on what changes, the details that need to change and getting rid of the backstop.
"What I’ve heard from the European Union’s side, in public and in private, makes me think that’s more likely than not that we will leave with a deal on October 31."
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Outgoing European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said a meeting with Boris Johnson in Luxembourg last week was "positive" as he reiterated the Commission's commitment to working with the Prime Minister to secure a deal.
Mr Johnson is expected to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in New York this week for trilateral talks on the Brexit state of play.
Conservative Party sources claim the Prime Minister will seek to persuade the pair to make it clear any Brexit deal proposed will have to be passed by October 31 rather than following a further extension.
During his stay in the US, Mr Johnson will once again make clear to President Donald Trump the NHS is not to be included in negotiations for a new free trade agreement between the UK and the US.
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Speaking to reporters on his way to New York, the Prime Minister said: “I will be making the point to President Trump, a point that I've made many times before, that we must tackle climate change together and we must tackle the loss of species together.
"But I will also be saying to President Trump is that when we do a free trade deal we must make sure that the NHS is not on the table, that we do not in any way prejudice or jeopardise our standards of animal welfare or food hygiene in the course of that deal. And that we open up American markets."
Mr Johnson and Mr Trump have pledged to come together to work on a new trade arrangement between the two countries, with The Sun reporting the due agreed to put the new deal in place by July 2020.
A senior Government source told the paper: "The political will is there now on both sides to do the deal by July.
"It's a great win for us, and Trump is also really keen to shout about it in the States."