Jeremy Hunt warns ‘only Vladimir Putin’ wants a no deal Brexit The Foreign Secretary yesterday warned only Vladimir Putin would welcome a no deal Brexit, as he urged Brussels to show […]

The Foreign Secretary yesterday warned only Vladimir Putin would welcome a no deal Brexit, as he urged Brussels to show greater flexibility in the negotiations.

Jeremy Hunt cautioned that the Russian President would “rejoice” if the UK crashed out of the European Union without reaching any kind of agreement.

In a marked shift in tone to that of his predecessor Boris Johnson over a no deal scenario, Mr Hunt raised the threat posed by Russia should there be a disorderly Brexit.

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No deal by accident

Speaking during a visit to Berlin, Germany, the Cabinet minister appealed directly to German leaders, warning them of the dangers of the UK and EU stumbling into a no deal situation.

“Without a real change in approach from the EU negotiators, we do now face a real risk of ‘no deal’ by accident,” Mr Hunt said.

The Foreign Secretary said “the only person rejoicing” from a no-deal Brexit would be Mr Putin.

And he warned that the impact of failing to reach an agreement would “change British public attitudes to Europe for a generation”.

“It would lead to a fissure in relations which would be highly damaging for that great partnership that we have had for so many years, which has been so important in sustaining the international order,” he said.

Mr Hunt was in Germany as part of Theresa May’s frantic bid to send senior members of her Cabinet to several EU member states. The move is part of the Prime Minister’s bid to appeal to EU leaders over the heads of the European Commission and build support for her Chequers Brexit plan.

In a statement released following the talks, the German foreign ministry said that many of the proposals in Theresa May’s Brexit White Paper “raise questions on both sides of the Channel” which would have to be examined by the European Commission.

Binding EU rules

The priority for foreign minister Heiko Maas was the UK and EU reaching agreement on “binding rules” to govern their relationship following Brexit, said the statement.

“We don’t want a disorderly Brexit, we want an agreement,” said Mr Maas. “Despite Brexit, we will continue to stand for the same values and interests.”

The Prime Minister is expected to hold talks with Austrian counterpart Sebastian Kurz and other EU leaders at the Salzburg Festival on Friday.

Also this week, Mrs May’s de facto deputy David Lidington will travel to Paris while Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab will be in Brussels for talks on Thursday.

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