Donald Tusk says UK would be welcome to remain in EU if Brexit deal not reached
European Council president Donald Tusk has said that the UK would be welcome to remain in the EU if a deal could not be reached.
The former Polish prime minister told reporters in Brussels today that: “The EU is prepared for a final deal with the United Kingdom in November.
“We are also prepared for a no-deal scenario but of course we are best prepared for a no-Brexit scenario,” he said.
Earlier in the day Tusk had said that withdrawal agreement negotiated between the UK and EU was about “damage control” and said that Brexit was a “lose-lose” situation.
"I don’t share the prime minister’s enthusiasm about Brexit as such. Since the very beginning, we have had no doubt that Brexit is a lose-lose situation and that our negotiations are only about damage control,” he said.
The EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier defended the potential agreement with the UK yesterday.
“What we have agreed at negotiators level is fair and balanced, organises the withdrawal in an orderly fashion, ensures no hard border on the island of Ireland, and lays the ground for an ambitious new partnership,” he said.