BREXIT TALKS LATEST: MICHAEL GOVE SAYS UK CAN BE FLEXIBLE IF IT SECURES AN EU TRADE DEAL IN JULY

Labour warns of ‘calamity’ of leaving without a free trade agreement

Michael Gove insisted the Government was “ready to be flexible” to secure a trade deal with Brussels despite warnings from the Prime Minister that he does not want the talks to carry on into the autumn.

The Cabinet Office minister told MPs the UK was looking to “bring a deal home” in July, and that weekly meetings will see negotiators enter the talks with a “keen focus” on the “principles which will underpin a broad agreement”.

His assurances came as Labour warned leaving the EU on World Trade Organisation rules would be a “calamity” for the country, bringing with it the “spectre” of panic buying and stockpiling seen at the start of the Covid-19 crisis.

The Tory frontbencher said the UK is “ready to be flexible” in how it secures a comprehensive free trade agreement with the EU

He said there is “no intrinsic reason” why a deal cannot be concluded in good time, adding: “The UK’s political will is there, our position is reasonable, based on precedent, and we still have the time to bring a deal home.”