Latvian minister ‘optimistic’ on Brexit deal

THE chance of a no-deal Brexit is “50-50”, Latvia’s foreign minister has warned.

Edgars Rinkevics said there was a “very considerable risk” of a nodeal scenario but stressed he remained optimistic an agreement with Britain on its withdrawal from the EU could be reached.

He added the UK Government’s more detailed position laid out in Prime Minister Theresa May’s Chequers plan “constitutes a good ground for really trying hard to reach a deal”.

His comments came as Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt began a three-day visit to woo European politicians to back the Government’s Brexit plan.

He will meet counterparts in Finland, Latvia, Denmark and the Netherlands as the deadline for agreeing a deal grows closer.

On the chances of no deal, Mr Rinkevics told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Frankly at this point, I would rate it 50-50... well, I think that 50-50 is a very considerable risk; if that were to be, let’s say, a 70-30 that we get a deal, I would be very satisfied...

“We also are satisfied to see that there is [a] more detailed position of the British Government, that constitutes a good ground for really trying hard to reach a deal. So having said 50-50, I would say I’m remaining optimistic.”

Mr Rinkevics said his country was “satisfied” with the preliminary agreement reached between the UK and the EU in relation to the rights of EU nationals.

He said: “I think that we are at a very critical point... I believe that both the EU and UK need to have extra effort to reach some kind of deal by October because I believe that it is in the best interests of both the UK and EU.”