EU bosses don’t want to give us a good deal because other countries will follow us out, Jeremy Hunt says
The Foreign Secretary said he was 'cautiously optimistic' that we would get a good deal with the bloc 'in the end' but said there was an ongoing battle 'between heart and head' in the EU
EU BOSSES don't want to give us a good deal because they fear that other countries will follow us out, Jeremy Hunt says.
The Foreign Secretary insisted he was "cautiously optimistic" that we would get a good deal with the bloc "in the end" but said there was an ongoing battle "between heart and head" in the EU.
Ahead of a speech in Washington today, he said that the UK has faced "bigger challenges" than Brexit before and will survive no matter what happens.
He told BBC Radio 4 today: "The challenge we have is that for EU countries there is a tension between their heart and their head.
"In their hearts they want to give Britain a good deal because they know how important we have been for the security and prosperity of Europe in the post-war period.
"But in their heads they're worried that if they give us a good deal other countries will follow suit."
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The Foreign Secretary said Britain will thrive outside the EU no matter what happensCredit: Reuters
Mr Hunt, who took over as Foreign Secretary from Boris Johnson after he quit over Brexit, said he thought we would get a deal in the end.
And he promised that Theresa May would never sign up to a deal "that is not consistent with both the letter and the spirit of the referendum" as that would be "absolutely fatal for the UK".
Warning that a bad, messy divorce from the EU would be "terrible for the EU project".
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Theresa May won't sign up to a deal that doesn't respect the result of the referendum, Mr Hunt insistedCredit: AFP
He will give his first speech as Foreign Secretary today on a trip to Washington, arguing to boost sanctions against Russia after the Salisbury poisonings.
He said he hoped that taking tougher action against the Kremlin - after the death of Dawn Sturgis earlier this year - would make countries "think again" about whether to use chemical weapons.
"We have to make sure that our reaction is to stand shoulder to shoulder with America," he stressed.
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