Britain's Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union Dominic Raab arrives at Downing Street in London, Britain, September 13, 2018. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

LONDON (Reuters) - It is easy for British businesses to use Brexit as an excuse rather than taking responsibility for their poor performance, Brexit minister Dominic Raab told BBC Radio on Thursday.

“All I am just gently saying is that it is rather easy for a business to blame Brexit and the politicians rather than to take responsibility for their own situation,” Raab told the BBC when asked about a slump in profits at John Lewis.

Raab also said he did not think the government would lose a vote in parliament on its final Brexit deal with Brussels, despite warnings from a former junior minister this week that 80 lawmakers in his Conservatives were prepared to vote against it.