[Twosugars]

Leaving the European Union without a deal would vastly shrink the UK’s international influence and would represent “the biggest unilateral abandonment” of long-term British interests in modern history, a group of former ambassadors have claimed.

In a letter, signed by 25 former senior diplomats and published in the Times, they urged Boris Johnson to “signal a different approach” at this weekend’s G7 summit in Biarritz, France, and retain “close relationships with our European neighbours”.

It said: “An impending no-deal Brexit … would result in an unprecedented – and self-inflicted – diminution of Britain’s international influence. We need a foreign policy based on long-term UK interests and a strong economy, and that requires close relationships with our European neighbours.

“No deal represents the biggest unilateral abandonment of those interests in modern British history. It should not be allowed to happen. We hope the prime minister uses this G7 meeting to signal a different approach.”
The Guardian