An EU flag flies between the statue of Winston Churchill and a Union Flag flying from the Big Ben clock tower, during a Unite for Europe rally in Parliament Square, in central London, Britain March 25, 2017. REUTERS/Paul Hackett

LONDON (Reuters) - Brexit minister David Davis said on Tuesday he believed Britain would agree some kind of basic deal with the European Union, even in the “very improbable” eventuality that they fail to agree a trade deal.

Davis told a parliamentary committee that even if Britain failed to strike a formal trade deal both sides were likely to have agreements in areas such as aviation that would allow planes to fly between Britain and the EU.

It is “not impossible, but very, very improbable” that Britain and the EU will fail to agree a Brexit deal, Davis told the lawmakers. “Whatever happens we will have a basic deal without the bits we really want,” he said.