UK trade minister: EU risks hurting image with Brexit handling

Liam Fox said on Tuesday that the European Union risks damaging its standing in the world if it pursues a Brexit that puts its own "ideological purity" ahead of needs of its citizens.

British trade minister Liam Fox said on Tuesday that the European Union risks damaging its standing in the world if it pursues a Brexit that puts its own "ideological purity" ahead of needs of its citizens.

Earlier on Tuesday Britain's foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt said it would be a big geo-strategic mistake for the continent of Europe if Britain left the European Union next year without a securing a deal.

Asked by Sky News if he agreed, Fox said: "If the European Union decides that it wants to put ... the ideological purity of the bureaucracy of Brussels ahead of the well-being of the people of Europe, it will send a very big signal to the rest of the world about exactly where Europe is heading."

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