A no-deal Brexit would be a 'mistake we would regret for generations', says Jeremy Hunt

Foreign secretary also hints the government would consider EU proposals that demanded accepting European environmental and social legislation

Crashing out of the EU without a deal would be a “mistake we would regret for generations”, Jeremy Hunt has said.

The foreign secretary said a no-deal Brexit would “inevitably change British attitudes towards Europe”, just a day after Latvia’s foreign minister claimed the scenario stood a 50:50 chance of coming to pass.

Mr Hunt’s comments came as a petition supporting The Independent’s campaign for a Final Say on the Brexit deal passed 615,000 signatures.

He spoke in an interview with ITV News after a meeting with the Dutch foreign minister as part of a three-day tour of northern Europe, but with tensions high over the government's approach to Brexit, he was later forced to backtrack.

Discussing the risk of no proper negotiated deal he said: “It would be a mistake we would regret for generations, if we had a messy, ugly divorce and would inevitably change British attitudes towards Europe.”

Tory Brexiteers have ferociously challenged ministers they accuse of talking down the UK's prospects in the case of a no-deal withdrawal, which many of them believe would be a positive option.

Anticipating a backlash on Friday morning Mr Hunt, took to Twitter to clarify his comments saying that Britain would "survive" and actually a no deal would be a "big mistake" for Europe.

When asked whether he was presenting the government’s Brexit plan as “take it or leave it”, Mr Hunt answered: “No, but it is a framework on which I believe the ultimate deal will be based and I’ve been to several countries and met seven foreign ministers and am meeting more in the weeks ahead.

“I’m getting a strong sense that not just in Holland but in many of the places I’ve visited that they do want to engage seriously to try and find a way through to try and get a pragmatic outcome.”

Mr Hunt also revealed that the government would consider EU proposals that demanded accepting European environmental and social legislation, in order to facilitate a free trade agreement.

He said: “I think we have to see what their proposal was, some of those things can have an impact on the level playing field, some won’t.”

Mr Hunt went on to respond to reports that Brussels Brexit negotiators were concerned they were being bugged by British spies.

Officials had raised security concerns after the UK obtained sensitive documents “within hours” of them being discussed, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Sabine Weyand, the EU’s deputy chief Brexit negotiator, reportedly told officials at a European Council working party on exit talks that “it could not be excluded” that British intelligence had penetrated their meetings.

Mr Hunt, when asked about the rumours, said: “I’m foreign secretary and foreign secretaries never comment on such matters but you are a journalist and you don’t have any trouble finding out what is going on in those meeting just like you have no problems in finding out what’s happening in our London meetings.”

A European Commission spokesman told journalists in Brussels at a regular briefing: “The commission’s position today is that we cannot comment on this press report.”

It comes as Brexit talks resumed in Brussels between UK and EU officials.

Brexit secretary Dominic Raab and EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier are not involved in the latest round of discussions, which are focused on the Irish border and future relations, and are due to finish on Friday.

The spokesman said: “As this week’s round is at technical level there won’t be a meeting between Michel Barnier and Dominic Raab.

“We will confirm in due course whether a subsequent meeting has been arranged.”