Britain voted to leave the EU in a historic referendum on June 23, 2016, but the country is still deadlocked over a way forward. After months of negotiations dragged into years, it is clear Brexit has placed the UK into a deep political crisis. Prime Minister Boris Johnson moved into Downing Street in late July, on the promise to leave the bloc by October 31, “no ifs or buts”.

However, after rebel MPs led by former Chancellor Philip Hammond passed legislation aimed at blocking no deal in early September, there are growing expectations the Prime Minister will be forced to ask for another delay.

Without the option of no deal, Mr Johnson, his Cabinet and a string of eurosceptics, including former Brexit secretary David Davis, claim they will not be able to use it as leverage to gain concessions from the EU.

Mr Davis wrote on Twitter last week: “I have consistently argued that a Brexit deal will not be sealed until the final few weeks leading up to October 31.

“Attempts to block no deal only serve to weaken the UK’s negotiating hand at this critical time and reduce the likelihood of a deal.”

The former Brexit minister resigned from the Cabinet in July last year, following a major row with Theresa May over her plans for post-Brexit relations with the EU.

The resignation famously shattered the hard-won consensus around her Chequers deal, plunging her Government into crisis.

Since then, Mrs May has been blamed for leading the country into chaos with her disastrous withdrawal agreement rejected by Parliament three times.

According to unearthed reports though, it could be Mr Davis who is to blame.

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Despite the former Brexit Secretary now suggesting that a no deal Brexit would be the best outcome for Britain, 2017 reports reveal that Mr Davis had not prepared for it.

According to a 2017 report by author Christopher Booker, Mr Davis had not even asked officials to produce any estimate of the cost of “no deal”.

However, a couple of months before, the Brexit Secretary had sought to reassure voters that the Government was prepared.

He told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show in 2017: “We have been planning for the contingencies, all the various outcomes, all the possible outcomes of the negotiation.”

Asked if this included a “proper plan for no deal”, Mr Davis added: “Oh yes, oh yes.”

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Moreover, the ex-minister’s negotiating tactics might have proved to be inefficient, as he had clearly underestimated the complexity of striking a deal with the bloc.

In May 2016, Mr Davis had described the Brexit negotiations as a chessboard where the final checkmate was inevitable.

Speaking before the referendum, he argued that all he needed to do to secure a great deal with the EU was a “trip to Berlin”.

He said: “I would not stop at Brussels.

“My first trip would be to Berlin.

“I’d go to Angela Merkel and I would tell her something that you can check by walking outside in the street and counting the cars.

“One if four of them are Audis, BMWs, Mercedes…

“I would say to Angela… I want you, Angela, to be able to sell to us completely free and unfettered without tariffs.

“That’s what I want, but WTO rules mean you’ll face a 10 percent tariff, so I want your help in ensuring that we can do a deal.”

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