James Cleverly slaps down Piers Morgan ‘trying to rewrite history’ on Boris’s Brexit deal

Brexit: Cleverly shut down over ‘oven-ready deal’

James Cleverly was put on the spot as GMB host Piers Morgan questioned why Brexit talks with the European Union have yet to return a new trade agreement. Mr Morgan pointed out the Government had run in the 2019 election promising Britons there was an “oven-ready” deal up for the taking. Bur Mr Cleverly dismissed the suggestion, insisting Prime Minister Boris Johnson had been talking about the withdrawal agreement rather than the deal on future commercial relations with the bloc.

Mr Morgan rejected the claim, saying: “This deal is burning and the flames are out of the oven.

“You trying to rewrite history is not going to cut it.”

But Mr Cleverly hit back at the Good Morning Britain host saying: “I love you to bits but you don’t get the opportunity to rewrite history.

“The Prime Minister was absolutely clear. We spent a year rowing about the withdrawal agreement, having big rows in Parliament, within the Conservative party.

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“The Prime Minister made it clear that every single Conservative candidate would subscribe to the withdrawal agreement and that was the oven-ready deal.”

Mr Morgan intervened: “So it never involved any trade? Just to be clear.

“When you talked about withdrawing from the European Union, it never crossed any of your minds that when the Prime Minister said an ‘oven-ready deal’ that would include a trade arrangement?

“Nothing, that was completely irrelevant.”

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One EU diplomat said: “There’s been no breakthrough on fish. Nothing new has been achieved on this,

“Despite intensive negotiations until late last night, the gaps on the level playing field, governance and fisheries are still not bridged. The outcome is still uncertain, it can still go both ways.

“The EU is ready to go the extra mile to agree on a fair, sustainable and balanced deal for citizens in the EU and UK. It is for the UK to choose between such a positive outcome or a no deal outcome.”

Simon Coveney, the Irish Foreign Minister, told Express.co.uk he hoped a deal can be struck, adding: “It certainly looks very difficult at the moment.”