Dominic Raab accused of ‘misleading the public’ over no-deal Brexit debate Dominic Raab, on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, said no-deal Brexit was widely discussed during the 2016 referendum

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has been accused of “misleading the public” by claiming a no-deal Brexit was widely discussed during the referendum.

Labour’s Ben Bradshaw demanded he apologise and said he had brought the post of Foreign Secretary “into disrepute”.

He hit out after Mr Raab, on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, said no-deal Brexit was widely discussed during the 2016 referendum.

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Mr Bradshaw wrote to Mr Raab, saying his comments were “deeply dishonest and demeans the office of Foreign Secretary”.

‘Deeply dishonest’

The Press Association archive show no-one quoted as saying the words “no deal” during the official EU referendum campaign period of April 15 to June 23 2016.

Hansard, the written record of Parliament, also shows no MPs or peers were quoted mentioning “no deal” in Parliament during the campaign either.

Mr Bradshaw told Mr Raab: “Your pronouncements since taking the job just a few days ago risk bringing this great office of state into disrepute.

“I was astonished to hear you claim on the BBC’s Today programme on Monday 29 July that the prospect of a no-deal exit from the European Union was widely discussed and considered a realistic prospect during the 2016 EU referendum. You must know this is simply not true.

“There appears to be no evidence at all of you ever suggesting that leaving the EU without a deal was a likely or possible outcome.

‘You said…’

“Indeed, whenever the question was put to you, you suggested the opposite – you claimed that a new, better deal would be negotiated with the EU if people voted to leave.

“You said the UK would of course retain a strong trading relationship with Europe and would likely get a bespoke deal, and stated, ‘the idea that Britain would be apocalyptically off the cliff edge if we left the EU is silly’. This is not a subject for debate, it is a matter of public record.

“For you to now try and claim a democratic mandate for no deal, despite failing to discuss the possibility of such an outcome during the referendum, is deeply dishonest and demeans the office of Foreign Secretary.”

Mr Raab has not responded to the accusations.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: “The Foreign Secretary has given tangible examples of when all eventualities, including a no-deal Brexit, were raised in the run-up to the referendum in 2016.”