EU Chief Brexit Negotiator Michel Barnier said on Tuesday that the EU won’t be influenced by the UK’s blame game, warning that Brussels is not “impressed.”
In a press conference, Barnier told reporters “To be very frank with you I do see this blame game starting against the European Union in the case of no deal. But the European Union is not going to be impressed by that kind of blame game, everyone should understand that.”
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He recalled warning the UK about the consequences of leaving the EU very early on in the Brexit process and said bilateral talks are “now entering the final stage,” adding that he had agreed with Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab to continuously negotiate, with less than eight months until the deadline.
“Certainly on the UK side, no. We’ll be leaving in March of next year,” Raab replied, when asked if Britain would consider extending the negotiating period if a deal isn’t reached.
Economists have repeatedly warned of the adverse economic effects of a no-deal Brexit on the UK economy, forecasting high levels of inflation and potential shortages of some goods, as existing supply chains would be disrupted under such an arrangement.
