Britain risks No-Deal Brexit; EU leaders unanimous that BREXIT won’t be renegotiated

Britain will crash out of the EU on 31 October unless Theresa May’s Brexit deal is ratified or a new prime minister calls a second referendum or general election this summer, the bloc’s leaders have concluded.

The Irish prime minister, Leo Varadkar, speaking at a summit in Brussels, said that there was now “enormous hostility” among the EU27’s heads of state and government to any further delay to Brexit.

He said that while Ireland had “endless patience” it had become the firm position of a number of EU governments that the indecision in London needed to come to an end.

An extension of the UK’s membership requires the unanimous support of the 27 member states. The European council president, Donald Tusk, had warned the UK not to waste the nine-month extension granted in April.

The EU leaders were “unanimous” that the new British prime minister will not be able to renegotiate the Brexit withdrawal agreement, the European Commission president has said.

Jean-Claude Juncker was speaking in Brussels after a meeting with the 27 presidents and prime ministers of the remaining EU countries.

“On Brexit there was nothing new – nothing new, because we repeated unanimously that there will be no renegotiation of the withdrawal agreement,” he told reporters.

Donald Tusk, speaking at the same press conference added: “We have agreed on the following united approach of the EU27. We look forward to working together with the next UK prime minister, we want to avoid a disorderly Brexit and establish a future relationship that is as close as possible with the UK.

“We are open for talks when it comes to the declaration of the future relationship, were the position of the UK to evolve, but the withdrawal agreement is not open for negotiation.”

Via Independent / The Guardian