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Former Permanent International Trade Secretary: May's Brexit Plan "Better Than No Deal".

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The former permanent secretary for international trade believes that Theresa May's Chequers plan for Brexit is "better than no deal".

Sir Martin Donnelly said that the UK doesn't have the same clout as the EU when it comes to trade with the United States.

The former permanent secretary told Tom Swarbrick that he didn't think "professionals see any deal between Britain and the US any time soon".

He said: "The only really functioning single market for services in the world is the European one, and that's the one that we need to stay as close to as we can."

Theresa May speaking to Cabinet Members at Chequers
Theresa May speaking to Cabinet Members at Chequers. Picture: PA

Sir Donnelly also said that Theresa May's plan for post-Brexit trade was "better than no deal" which he believes would be a "catastrophe" for investments, jobs, and economy growth.

"This gives us a basis for sorting out the Irish border, which is the first step so we can get through the transition through to 2020 and get ourselves a bit more time to do the detailed negotiation," he said.

"Otherwise if we fall out next March, it's very bad news for everyone."