Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond said yesterday “I firmly believe that my job is to look after the welfare and interests of the British people and I conclude that it would not be in their interests to leave without a deal”. “We are very determined that we need a deal. We need a deal that allows us to continue to cooperate and to have a smooth and orderly exit and we’ll make sure that we do.”
He urged that “What we and many other British businesses need most urgently, is for politicians from all sides to come together and pass a pragmatic agreement that allows an orderly Brexit”. Though, he added that “We don’t see any specific benefits in the current deal. It’s just a lot less bad than a ‘no deal'”.
But as five-day debate over UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal began in the parliament yesterday, there is apparently no breakthrough. Hammond said there is currently no “plan B” to break the deadlock.