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27 April 2020updated 06 Oct 2020 9:45am

Coronavirus crisis could make UK-EU trade deal more likely, Gove says

By Samuel Horti

The coronavirus crisis could increase the chances of the UK and European Union agreeing a trade deal before the end of the year, Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove has claimed.

Asked today by the Committee on the Future Relationship with the European Union whether the pandemic alters the chances of a deal by December 31, Gove said it “should concentrate the minds of EU negotiators, reinforcing the vital importance of coming to a conclusion”.

Reaching a trade deal before the end of the year was “entirely possible”, he said, putting the odds of it happening at two to one.

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