[Published: Wednesday January 23 2019]
 Delaying Brexit worse than no deal, says Liam Fox
LONDON 23 Jan (ANA) - Delaying or cancelling Brexit would be a "calamitous" breach of trust with the electorate and worse than leaving the EU with no deal, Liam Fox has said.
The Brexiteer minister told BBC's Radio 4's Today programme MPs pushing for a delay actually wanted to stop Brexit.
He said this was the "worst outcome" of the current wrangles.
MPs are proposing alternative plans to the PM's deal with the EU, including seeking an extension to the UK's exit date - which is scheduled for 29 March.
But the prime minister has said the "right way" to rule out no-deal Brexit is to approve her withdrawal agreement.
Under current law, the UK will exit the EU on 29 March, whether or not a deal has been struck. The decision to leave was taken by 52% to 48% in a referendum in June 2016.
Liam Fox said MPs should think about the "political consequences" of delaying Brexit not just the "short-term economic consequences".
"There is no doubt that leaving with a deal and minimising disruption both to the UK and our EU trading partners is in our best interest," the international development secretary said.
"But I think the most calamitous outcome would be for Parliament, having promised to respect the result of the referendum, to turn around and say it wouldn't."
But Conservative Remainer Anna Soubry said it was "not true" that Tory MPs backing a move to prevent a "no deal" Brexit - such as Nick Boles, Nicky Morgan and Sir Oliver Letwin - wanted to stop Brexit and had in fact voted for Theresa May's withdrawal deal.
Mr Boles said Mr Fox had "never been very good at detail".(ANA)
FA/ANA/23 January 2019--------
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