Hammond won’t budget for a no-deal exit

THE Chancellor last night refused to budget for a hard Brexit until divorce talks with the EU fail.

Philip Hammond said he would not commit billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money in next month’s budget to plan for a ‘no-deal’ exit from the bloc. He said it would be irresponsible to spend the cash unless the danger is imminent.

Mr Hammond told The Times he needed to ‘ensure that we are prepared for all outcomes, including a no-deal scenario’, adding: ‘The Government and the Treasury are prepared. We are planning for every outcome and we will find any necessary funding and we will only spend it when it’s responsible to do so.’