In recent days Conservative ministers have scrambled to insist that Boris Johnson’s “oven-ready” Brexit deal pledge at the election only related to the Withdrawal Agreement.
But one year ago, days before the general election, the then chief secretary to the Treasury claimed there was no need for no-deal Brexit planning because “we have got this deal”.
In an interview with Radio 4’s Today programme, he also insisted that the trade deal “is already there” as a result of Johnson’s negotiations.
He said: “We won’t need to plan for no-deal because we will have a deal.”
MORE: Labour MPs clash with BBC presenter over ‘Tory spin’ clarification of ‘oven-ready deal’
He added: “There is going to be a trade deal… everyone said we wouldn’t be able to get this deal, we have got this deal.”
He continued: “The trade deal, the outlines of it, the framework of it, is already there contained in the political declaration in quite a lot of detail and talks about an ambitious, comprehensive trading relationship with close cooperation on security, on economic matters.
“And we can go and sort the details of that over the course of next year.”
It follows clips resurfacing showing Boris Johnson visiting a Nissan plant in the North East of England during the campaign and speaking of protecting supply chains “as we come out” in comments that appear to relate to a trade deal.
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