Brussels’ boss Ursula von der Leyen was told eurocrats must get to work on emergency plans because a “no-deal outcome cannot be excluded”. Member states were issued the warning after Mr Barnier told a private meeting of EU27 ambassadors reaching a deal will be “impossible” if Boris Johnson refuses to surrender on fishing rights and state aid rules. An EU diplomat said: “Ambassadors took note of the fact that a deal cannot be guaranteed at this stage and a no-deal outcome cannot be excluded.
“There was consensus among Ambassadors that the EU needs to prepare diligently for all possible outcomes.”
The senior diplomats ordered the Commission to “present contingency measures and the corresponding legislative proposals for a no-deal outcome urgently and without further delay”, the source added.
