London (CNN) A no-deal Brexit has become a very real prospect, a senior figure in UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government has said.

Writing in The Times newspaper on Sunday, UK Conservative MP Michael Gove said that the UK is now preparing for a no deal on the assumption that the European Union will not renegotiate former Prime Minister Theresa May's withdrawal agreement.

Michael Gove says the UK must be ready for a no-deal Brexit.

Gove was appointed this week by Johnson as the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and tasked with boosting preparations for the UK to leave the European Union without a withdrawal agreement.

"We still hope they will change their minds, but we must operate on the assumption that they will not. The prime minister has been crystal clear that means we must prepare to leave the EU without a deal on October 31, and I fully support this approach," Gove wrote.

"No deal is now a very real prospect, and we must make sure that we are ready," he added.

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