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EU's Verhofstadt blasts Hunt for ‘glorifying’ no-deal Brexit

Foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt in Downing Street (Reuters)
Foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt in Downing Street (Reuters)

Foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt has come under fire in Brussels for playing down the impact of a potential no-deal Brexit.

Hunt is among a group of cabinet ministers who are pushing the prime minister to pursue a so-called “managed no-deal” if MPs reject the current Brexit deal.

In an interview with the Sunday Times, he conceded that would cause “disruption” but argued the UK would still be able to “flourish and prosper.”

“We’ve faced much bigger challenges in our history,” he insisted.

Hunt’s position has been interpreted by many in the UK as a bid to place him at the front of the pack of possible successors to Theresa May.

“This is a desperate attempt by Jeremy Hunt to try and win favour with the Brexiteer wing of his party,” said Conservative MP Virendra Sharma.

Now Hunt’s comments have been blasted by European Parliament Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt.

He said: “Those, like Jeremy Hunt, who glorify a no–deal Brexit are totally irresponsible. It is not the job of politicians to make the people they lead poorer, remove opportunities, rights and make lives more uncertain. There is no such thing as a ‘managed no deal.’”

Brexit supporting MEPs said it was a sign the EU side is “rattled.”

The row comes before the European commission sets out its latest preparations for the increasingly likely prospect of a no-deal Brexit on Wednesday.

European parliament Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt arriving at 10 Downing Street for a meeting with Theresa May in 2017 (Getty)
European parliament Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt arriving at 10 Downing Street for a meeting with Theresa May in 2017 (Getty)

It includes plans for the EU to unilaterally extend existing arrangements, including those for transport and financial services, for a period of six to nine months.

EU officials insisted they were putting in place the bare minimum emergency measures rather than anything resembling a “managed no-deal.”

Full details of the “emergency action plan” will be published on Wednesday afternoon after the weekly meeting of commissioners.

EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier will attend the meeting to update commissioners on the “latest developments on the UK side.”

READ MORE: EU ramps up no-deal plans amid deep freeze in Brexit talks

The commission has confirmed there are no further Brexit talks planned despite May having promised they would be taking place in the “coming days.”

Luminita Odobescu, the ambassador of Romania to the EU, said the EU is waiting for “clarity from London” on what assurances it needs to get the deal through the UK parliament.

“There is an openness from the EU side to explain more but of course not to open the withdrawal agreement,” she told Yahoo Finance UK. “We have to see what are the concrete requests from the UK government.”

The diplomat’s view is now significant because Romania are taking over the presidency of the European council from 1 January.

Asked whether they were ready for another emergency Brexit summit in January, she said: “We are ready to call for any meeting needed.”