The production of the new 50p Brexit coins are said to have been put on pause as the likelihood that the UK will not leave the EU by October 31 recedes.
EU ambassadors have agreed that an extension to the UK’s membership is needed.
The Prime Minister insisted Britain could still leave the EU on October 31 – despite the EU 27 accepting the “principle of an extension” – but said the fate of Britain’s exit date was now in Brussels’ hands.
A Treasury source told The Daily Telegraph: “We have paused production of the Brexit coin and will take a final decision in due course.”
It is likely that hundreds of thousands of the coins have already been minted, the Mirror is reporting.
The coins are likely to be collector’s items if any are allowed to leave the Royal Mint before they are melted down and could be worth hundreds of pounds.
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The Brexit-themed coins were originally planned as collectors’ editions, costing £10 each, in a run of 10,000.
On the tails side of the coins is the inscription: “Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations”, as well as the historic date the UK is due to leave the EU – October 31 2019.”
Chancellor Sajid Javid drew up proposals in August for millions of coins to enter mass circulation in time for Brexit.
Boris Johnson insisted time and again that the UK would leave by October 31 “do or die”.
But he has quietly dropped his pledge after he failed to get his deal through parliament by October 19 meaning he was mandated to ask the EU for an extension under the Benn act.
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