Cabinet minister Robert Jenrick has claimed there was “no reason” why the scenes in Kent this week would be repeated if there was a no-deal Brexit.
It comes as Jenrick warned it may take a “few days” to clear the backlog of around 4,000 lorries waiting to cross the Channel sparked by a French travel ban.
France imposed the ban in response to fears about the spread of the more infectious coronavirus strain, which is spreading in the UK.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today: “It’s not in either side’s interests for that to happen.
“If you look at events of the last few days the vast majority – I think over 80% – of the HGV drivers waiting at Manston airport this morning are from the EU, they’re from the continent.
“And so it’s in both sides mutual interest to bring issues like this to a speedy resolution.”
The preparation for a no-deal Brexit had “paid off” in being able to manage the situation at the Channel, Jenrick said.
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