Likelihood of ‘no deal’ on EU exit increasing by the day, says Hunt

The likelihood of Britain exiting the EU without a deal is “increasing by the day”, Jeremy Hunt has said.

Ahead of talks with his opposite numbers in France and Austria today and tomorrow, the foreign secretary insisted that if Brussels failed to strike a withdrawal agreement with the UK it would cause job losses on both sides of the Channel “if Brexit goes wrong”.

Meanwhile, Theresa May will hold talks with French president Emmanuel Macron on Friday as the government steps up engagement with leaders on the Continent.

Mr Hunt urged Paris and Berlin to put pressure on Brussels to cut a deal. He said: “There is real chance of no deal by accident. Everyone is assuming, no, no, no, this will never happen. Well, actually, it could. France and Germany have to send a strong signal to the commission that we need to negotiate a pragmatic and sensible outcome that protects jobs on both sides of the Channel because for every job lost in the UK, there will be jobs lost in Europe as well if Brexit goes wrong.”

He said a “breakdown in relations and trust between Britain and European countries” would be a “profound geo-strategic mistake”.

The prospect of a no-deal exit has caused concern in the food industry, with the director of the British Sandwich and Food To Go Association, Jim Winship, saying: “If we suddenly have border controls being introduced that aren’t there now, that’s going to cause some massive problems with the fresh ingredients. It’s going to limit the amount of choice consumers have if we suddenly crash out.”