UK won't blink on Brexit, Jeremy Hunt warns EU

Newly-appointed Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said the European Union risks forcing the UK out without a deal – and warned that the country will not "blink" in negotiations.

Hunt, who left the Department of Health and Social Care to take over from Boris Johnson earlier this month, was talking to journalists on his first overseas trip since taking up the role.

At a press conference in Berlin, and speaking alongside German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, Hunt said: "When it comes to Brexit, there is now a very real risk of a Brexit no-deal by accident. And this is because I think that many people in the EU are thinking that they just have to wait long enough and Britain will blink, and that’s not going to happen."

He added that he hoped Germany and the UK would remain "best friends", but warned: "Without a real change in approach from the EU negotiators, we do now face the real risk of a no-deal by accident and that would be incredibly challenging economically.

"My real concern is that it will change British public attitudes to Europe for a generation and will lead to a fissure in relations which would be highly damaging for that great partnership that we’ve had for so many years."

Last week Dominic Raab, who replaced previous Brexit Secretary David Davis at the same time as Hunt took over at the Foreign Office, held his first meeting with the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier, as the government steps up its attempts to secure a deal.

Prime Minister Theresa May published her proposals for a Brexit deal earlier this month, but she has struggled to get her own party to back them.

The pound slipped against the dollar in trading Monday, but did rise slightly against the euro. At 1600 BST it was at €1.1202, a level it fell from last week.