ANY QUOTES USED MUST BE ATTRIBUTED TO SKY NEWS, SOPHY RIDGE ON SUNDAY

SOPHY RIDGE: Well this morning Theresa May has written a personal plea to voters to back her Brexit plan and we can talk now to one of her most loyal supporters, James Brokenshire, who is the Housing Secretary. Thank you very much for being with us this morning, Mr Brokenshire.

JAMES BROKENSHIRE: Good morning Sophy.

SR: Well we’ve had this personal plea from the Prime Minister, is it too little, too late? Surely most people have made up their own minds now on whether or not the deal is a good one.

JAMES BROKENSHIRE: Well I think there is a choice that MPs are indeed taking this message to the country on what is a clear deal, a firm deal on how we can move forward positively so see that free trade arrangement, to see the end of free movement, taking back control of our money, our borders, our laws, ending our association with the Common Fisheries Policy, the Common Agricultural Policy, but putting jobs firmly there. So it is I think that clear message that the Prime Minister is giving in her letter and obviously as we look towards the summit later today concluding the negotiations, getting the political declaration and the withdrawal agreement agreed and then obviously taking that to Parliament for that further scrutiny.

SR: You can see the choreography that was intended over the last 24 hours when we expect of course the EU leaders to approve the Brexit deal and the letter hitting the newspapers this morning but things didn’t go quite to plan did they with Gibraltar? Can you guarantee that any future trade deal with the EU will cover ever British territory everywhere that considers itself to be British?

JAMES BROKENSHIRE: The Prime Minister has been very clear in her strong support for Gibraltar, indeed how she has underlined that sense of sovereignty and if you look at what has happened here, look at the statements that have been made, the clearest, firmest support of any British Prime Minister for Gibraltar – not my words but the words of the First Minister of Gibraltar – and how as we look towards the next stage of the trading arrangements, how we want to see that encompassing all of the UK family and therefore it is with that approach that we look to the future and look beyond the deals and the discussions today and look towards the conclusion of that continuing relationship.

SR: I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch the answer to the question about whether or not you can guarantee that any future trade deal will cover every British territory everywhere that considers itself to be British.

JAMES BROKENSHIRE: Look, that’s what the Prime Minister has said. We approach this next stage of the trading arrangements and the negotiation of the detail that now moves forward from the political declaration to the whole of what you might describe as the UK family and so that very much has Gibraltar in our minds as we look towards that next stage of the negotiations and how nothing has changed in the withdrawal agreement, how it is now moving forward through the political declaration and securing that broad trade deal that the political declaration underlines for all of the UK family.

SR: Now one of the issues of course is that no matter what happens here in Brussels today, the real battle is going to be back in the UK. At the minute I can’t really see how the numbers add up for that deal to pass through the House of Commons so if you can’t get it through what happens next? Do you have a second vote, do you have an election, do you have a second referendum, do you leave with no deal? What happens?

JAMES BROKENSHIRE: Well I think there is a deal that is in the best interests of our country, that deals and responds very clearly to the wishes of the British people in the referendum, taking back control of our money, our borders and our laws and giving effect to the referendum result and I think it is for MPs now of course to scrutinise this properly but if that does not happen then effectively you’d be back to square one with more uncertainty, more division, why I think it is important that people get behind the Prime Minister, get behind the deal that we see being approved today and allowing us to move forward as a country on to all of those things that the British people want us to do, all the domestic priorities and that clear message that we hear time and time again of just let’s get on with it. That’s what we can do here and that’s what I want to see Parliament and obviously MPs now getting behind as we look to the future.

SR: You are perhaps one of the people that Theresa May can really rely on to back here position in the Cabinet, it is clear that you are fully behind her deal so is the deal on the table better than the current deal we have with the European Union?

JAMES BROKENSHIRE: I think the Chancellor of the Exchequer was asked this question yesterday or the day before and I think it does give effect to the votes of the British people and therefore yes, I think it is now, things have now changed. We’ve had that referendum, we look towards a future outside of the European Union …

SR: So is it better?

JAMES BROKENSHIRE: … this is a good deal for our country. Yes, I think that given the people have now voted for us to leave the European Union, yes, I think the EU now has moved on so therefore it is in our best interests to secure this deal, to look to that bright future where we can negotiate our trading arrangements with countries outside of the EU and yes, getting on with this now and actually charting this bright, positive future that I know that we can secure.

SR: We were talking about contingency plans a little earlier, you must have some contingency plans so is no deal still on the table, is that still a possibility?

JAMES BROKENSHIRE: I think we can clearly say that work is continuing firmly and at pace in relation to a no deal. Obviously it is not something that we anticipate, there is the deal that is here now that we want to see everyone getting behind but I think it is right and prudent and appropriate that we continue those arrangements. The Chancellor announced an extra £500 million in the budget just a few weeks ago which takes our total commitment to no deal preparations since 2016 up to £4 billion, 106 technical notices that have already been published and therefore how we will continue in parallel to ensure that no deal preparations are maintained and that, frankly, is the appropriate way for any responsible government to approach this but clearly we want to get this deal. We want to see this being advanced, we want to see the country moving forward, coming together behind this deal and getting on with the job of governing on the domestic issues which clearly people want us to focus upon and why its supporting this deal matters so much.

SR: I wanted to ask you about Matthew Hedges, the academic who is sentenced to life in prison for allegedly spying in the UAE, I mean this is a really shocking story. Has the British government been caught napping?

JAMES BROKENSHIRE: This is obviously hugely concerning for Matthew and all of his family. The Foreign Secretary remains in very close contact with his counterpart, the UAE Foreign Minister and indeed the family and obviously with Matthew and his lawyers who are keeping in close contact with the Foreign Office. We are doing all that we can to resolve this issue positively, the Foreign Secretary with his last conversation with the UAE Minister I think took some positive sense of that on wanting to see this resolved quickly and speedily and obviously we do want to see clemency granted to Matthew at the earliest opportunity and we’re doing all that we can to secure that outcome.

SR: Okay, James Brokenshire, thank you very much indeed for being on the programme this morning.

JAMES BROKENSHIRE: Thank you, thank you Sophy.