Michael Gove has given the UK and EU a 66% chance of agreeing a Brexit trade deal and urged people to blame him if there is chaos at the border in January.
He batted away suggestions that councils in key areas, such as Kent, would get the blame if the border and surrounding roads get choked up with lorries and EU trade is slowed or halted.
Gove last month outlined a reasonable worst case scenario, which warned there could be queues of 7,000 lorries in Kent if not enough businesses prepare for border checks at the end of the transition period on December 31, sparking accusations he was seeking to shift blame.
But the Cabinet Office minister told the Commons EU future relationship committee: “If things do go wrong, then to paraphrase Rag’n’Bone Man, put the blame on me.”
Gove also gave the UK and EU around a two-thirds chance of striking a Brexit deal amid reports that Boris Johnson could pull the plug on negotiations if an outline agreement is not within sight by October 15.
Asked by Tory MP Nigel Mills if he still rated the chance of a deal at 66%, Gove replied: “I think the number might have oscillated upwards or downwards since the last time we spoke but I’d say that is about right.”
UK chief negotiator David Frost, appearing alongside Gove, added: “I think that a deal is eminently achievable and could be achieved but equally it is possible that we don’t get there and we’ll have to see what the next few weeks bring.”
Meanwhile, the prime minister and European Council president Charles Michel acknowledged “significant areas of difference remain”.
Johnson told Michel during a call that citizens and businesses need “certainty very soon” with the deadline looming, according to Downing Street.
A No.10 spokesperson said Johnson reiterated that the UK would be “prepared” to leave at the end of the transition period without a trade deal, but acknowledged brokering one would be “better for both sides”.
“Although some progress had been made in recent discussions, they acknowledged that significant areas of difference remain, particularly on fisheries,” a statement read.
“Chief negotiators should continue to work intensively in the coming days to try to bridge the gaps.
“The prime minister reiterated that any deal must reflect what the British people voted for and that businesses and citizens needed certainty very soon on the terms of our future relationship. They agreed to remain in touch on this issue.”
Michel meanwhile warned that the EU wants a deal “but not at any cost”.
“Time for the UK to put its cards on the table,” he added.