May never threatened EU with no-Deal Brexit – Barnier

British Prime Minister Theresa May “never” attempted to threaten the EU with a no-deal Brexit during divorce negotiations, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier told the BBC’s Panorama program.

POLITICO reports Barnier saying that Britain will have to “face the consequences” if it can’t agree to May’s Withdrawal Agreement. Barnier said May’s deal, which has been rejected three times by the U.K. parliament, is still the “only way to leave the EU in an orderly manner.”

Responding to Barnier’s comments in a separate interview on the Today program Thursday morning, Jeremy Hunt, the U.K. foreign secretary and a contender to replace May as the head of the Conservative Party and Britain’s next prime minister, said no-deal Brexit is a credible threat. Hunt added that he shares Barnier’s frustration with the Brexit process, but a renegotiation of May’s deal was necessary to get through the impasse.

Via POLITICO / BBC