No-deal Brexit now ‘very, very likely,’ Boris Johnson says

Still ‘hopeful’ progress can be made

Boris Johnson has said it is "very, very likely" that the UK will fail to strike a trade agreement with the European Union, raising the prospect of a no-deal Brexit at the end of this month. 

On a visit to Blyth in Northumberland, the prime minister predicted the UK would not strike a post-Brexit deal with the EU before the end of the transition period. 

He said: "We are always hopeful, and as you know the negotiations are continuing and we've got our teams still out there in Brussels.

“And if there is a big offer, a big change in what they are saying then I must say that I've yet to see it.”

He added: “There is a way to go - we're hopeful that progress can be made.”

"But I've got to tell that from where I stand now, here in Blyth, it is looking very, very likely that we will have to go for a solution that I think would be wonderful for the UK, and we'd be able to do exactly what we want from January 1 - it obviously would be different from what we'd set out to achieve but I have no doubt this country can get ready and, as I say, come out on World Trade terms."

His comments mark a steep escalation in rhetoric over the chances of a no-deal.  

Just yesterday the Conservative leader said there was a “strong possibility” the UK would fail to strike a trade deal with the EU, despite the ongoing talks.  

With just three weeks to go until the end of the transition period, the prime minister also ordered ministers to step up preparations for no-deal.

Mr Johnson failed to secure concessions from the EU during a three-hour face-to-face meeting with the European Commission president in Brussels on Wednesday night.

A no-deal Brexit is expected to cause significant economic disruption, the effects of which could hit as the UK battles any post-Christmas coronavirus wave.