A Brexit deal to be reached by October

AN agreement with the EU can be reached by October but the UK is preparing for the possibility of no deal, Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has stated.

He said he would return to Brussels for talks on Thursday and strain “every sinew” to get “the best deal”. However, the government had plans in place in case talks did not end well, he told the BBC.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said there must be a “serious stepping up of negotiations” to avoid no deal. The UK is expected to leave the European Union on 29 March 2019, although the two sides have yet to agree how the trade will work between the UK and the EU afterward.

Theresa May hopes the government’s plan, detailed recently in the Brexit White Paper, will allow the two sides to reach a deal on relations by the autumn. Downing Street said on Sunday that cabinet ministers would be promoting the plan across Europe over the summer.

Theresa May would “take the lead” by meeting the Austrian chancellor, Czech prime minister, and Estonian prime minister next week.

Mrs. May said: “We must step up the pace of negotiations and get on to deliver a good deal that will bring greater prosperity and security to both British and European citizens.

“We both know the clock is ticking – let’s get on with it.”