Dominic Raab says good deal ‘within our sights’ as no-deal Brexit documents released
Brexit secretary Dominc Raab will today insist that "a good deal is within our sights" as he releases the first tranche of the government's no-deal planning documents.
The publication of these technical notes comes as a new survey by City heavyweights KPMG suggests that no-deal Brexit would cause a dramatic contraction in consumer spending, with nearly half of Brits saying their outgoings would be cut if the UK left the EU without a deal.
A majority of the UK public now think no-deal is the likeliest outcome of Brexit negotiations, according to a poll by City heavyweights KMPG published today.
The survey of 3,044 members of the public commissioned by the audit and consultancy giant showed 54 per cent consider 'no deal' is the likeliest outcome of the Brexit negotiations, with just 20 per cent thinking this result was unlikely.
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The public also expect prices to rise in the event of a disorderly Brexit and plan to rein in their consumer spending.
Seventy per cent thought prices would rise and 69 per cent said they would change their consumer behaviour after a no-deal Brexit, with 43 per cent saying they would cut spending on essentials while 48 per cent would cut luxury spending.
Speaking ahead of the publication of its no-deal documents, Raab said that while the government is hopeful of an agreement, "we must be ready to consider the alternative. We have a duty, as a responsible government, to plan for every eventuality."
He added that the documents "are a sensible, measured,and proportionate approach to minimising the impact of no deal on British firms, citizens,charities and public bodies".
It is understood that these papers will cover more than 80 areas, including financial services, food imports, oil and gas, passports, services and workplace rights.
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Foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt warned this week that a no-deal Brexit could imperil UK-EU relations, describing it as “one of the biggest threats to European unity”.
“The risk of a messy divorce, as opposed to the friendship we seek, would be a fissure in relations between European allies that would take a generation to heal — a geostrategic error for Europe at an extremely vulnerable time in our history,” he said.
Speaking on Tuesday in Brussels the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, said a no-deal would be the “most costly form of Brexit”.
“We don’t want this option,” he added.
Barnier said the problems a no-deal Brexit would cause have been underestimated.
“On the first day of the first press conference I came before you as a negotiator, I said Brexit will have numerous consequences – human, social consequences, economic, financial, technical, legal – and I said that many people had underestimated those consequences.”
The KPMG survey showed 70 per cent of those polled thought a no-deal Brexit would lead to EU tariffs and price rises, 63 per cent thought it would cause delays at channel ports and 54 per cent thought it would lead to a further devaluation of the pound.
Similar percentages of remainers and leavers thought a no-deal Brexit was now the most likely outcome.
However, despite the perceived negative consequences of a no-deal Brexit, very few said they would change their vote in the event of another referendum.
Eighty-nine per cent of leave voters said they would still vote leave and 93 per cent of remain voters said they would still vote remain.