Pro- EU Clarke rubbishes claims of Project Fear
REMAINER Ken Clarke last night dismissed “exaggerated” Project Fear claims about a no- deal Brexit.
Despite his commitment to the European project for 50 years, he said he did not believe the dire predictions of some “die- hard Remainers”.
Britain would face some “shortterm chaos” if there is “literally nodeal” when it leaves the European Union, the ex- chancellor said.
But he insisted there were “sane people both sides of the Channel” that would be able to sort out the technical agreements that need to be put in place to make sure planes can take off, medicine supplies are available and food does not run out.
The measures could be done in about a “month or two”, he said at an event in Westminster.
“I don’t think the economy will collapse,” he added. “We might have a short- term recession because the Bank of England are going to have fun dealing with confidence in sterling and so on in the immediate aftermath.
“You are going to knock some sectors of the economy for six if you really start putting obstacles to trade either at our sea border at the Channel or our land border in Ireland.
“In the longer term, the economy will still grow. It’s quite strong.”
Mr Clarke claimed Britain would be diminished economically and politically but said he was an “optimist”.
“I believe in the end that sanity and the real world will always come through really,” he added.
Although father of the House Mr Clarke, 78, said he is “minded” not to stand again, with a plan to “pack it up” before people start “dropping hints” telling him to do so.