Philip Hammond, the UK chancellor, has said Britain must adopt a realistic negotiating position with the rest of the EU or face years of damaging economic uncertainty.
Speaking to journalists at the G20 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors in Chengdu, China, Mr Hammond said the way to send a reassuring signal to business and restore UK confidence was to get a “positive” EU response to Britain’s negotiating stance on terms for leaving the bloc.
The G20 pledged to use “all policy tools” to support growth, saying they were ready to respond to any negative fallout from Brexit amid uncertainty over protectionism and Britain’s future relations with the EU.