Michel Barnier: No-deal Brexit risk is high after deal defeat

The European Union will maintain orderly Berxit as a priority, but no scenario, particularly, a no-deal exit, can now be excluded after the UK House of Commons rejected the withdrawal agreement, the chief European negotiator for Brexit, Michel Barnier, said Wednesday.

“Orderly Brexit will remain our absolute priority in the coming weeks. Nevertheless, at this time, no scenario can be excluded. And that is particularly true for a scenario that we have always wanted to avoid, the no-deal one”, Barnier said at a session of the European Parliament.

The deal was defeated in the UK parliament on Tuesday by 432 votes to 202.