Business Minister’s Brutally Honest Brexit Interview Stuns Iain Dale

21 January 2019, 20:23 | Updated: 21 January 2019, 20:38

The business minister says Theresa May more "flexible" over Brexit and warned leaving with no deal would be a “total disaster”.

Richard Harrington also told LBC that the Prime Minister would eventually have to agree to some form of Customs Union membership.

He also backed calls to extend Article 50 if Mrs May is unable to get MPs to approve her deal.

During the interview, Iain Dale told the minister his honesty was “on the edge of collective responsibility”.

Today, the PM ruled out a second referendum and dismissed calls for Brexit to be delayed as she set out her Plan B.

But, rebels on both sides of the Commons have accused her of being in denial.

It led Iain to question whether Mrs May’s position - opposing a customs union, second referendum and single market membership - was “inflexible”.

“I would agree with that Iain,” Mr Harrington said much to Iain’s surprise.

“This is a time for flexibility, this is the time to look out for the whole country”.

He added: “I would like to see her being more flexible. We lost this vote by more than 200 votes. I’d like to see a consensus built.”

When asked whether such concessions would involve “some sort of membership of the Customs Union”, he responded: “I would have thought so, absolutely”.

It led Iain to reply: “If I may put it to you, you’re on the edge of collective responsibility with what you’ve said in this interview.”

You can hear it in full above.