Not closer to a no deal Brexit: May

LONDON: Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday she did not believe that Britain was getting close to a so-called “no deal” Brexit, where the country crashes out of the European Union without an exit agreement.

Asked by the head of a parliamentary committee whether she would warn the public about the consequences of a “no deal” Brexit, May answered: “You have based your question on an assumption that said we were getting closer to a no deal scenario. I don’t believe that is the case. We have put forward a proposal for what the future relationship should be... and we are in negotiations on the basis of that.”

She added that the government would release around 70 “technical notifications to set out what UK citizens and businesses need to do in a no deal scenario” in August and September this year.

Meanwhile, former foreign minister Boris Johnson urged the government on Wednesday to change its strategy for leaving the European Union, telling MPS in a rousing speech it was “not too late to save Brexit”.

He warned that May’s plan for close economic ties — over which he and Brexit secretary David Davis quit last week — “is BRINO, or Brexit in name only”.

In his first speech to the House of Commons since resigning, where he was flanked by supporters including Davis, Johnson said May could still change course.

We have put forward a proposal for what the future relationship with EU should be... and we are in talks on that

THERESA MAY British Prime Minister