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Courtesy of the Telegraph
Michel Barnier will hold late night talks with leading members of the European Parliament in the immediate aftermath of tonight’s meaningful vote on Theresa May’s Brexit deal, amid suggestions that Brussels would entertain further UK-EU talks if the agreement is rejected by MPs in Westminster.
Heiko Maas, Germany’s foreign minister, and Mario Centeno, the president of the eurogroup of eurozone finance ministers, conceded there could be more Brexit discussions if the deal is voted down in the House of Commons, as is expected. Mr Barnier, the European Union’s chief negotiator, will discuss the result of the vote with the most influential MEPs on Brexit, including Guy Verhofstadt, the parliament’s Brexit co-ordinator, as fears over the risk of a no deal grow.
“They will release a big statement tomorrow if the deal is rejected,” a parliament source told The Telegraph. Speaking to reporters at the European Parliament, Heiko Maas said: "The agreement stands, as it is. I doubt very much that the agreement can be fundamentally reopened. If there were a better solution, it would already have been put forward." “If it goes wrong tonight, there could be further talks,” he added. “We need to take informed decisions with total calm and avoid a no-deal exit. Practically anything is better than a no-deal exit,” said Mr Centeno, who predicted the EU could “adjust our trajectory”. But Nathalie Loiseau, France’s Europe minister, said, “It’s up to the British Parliament and the British government to have a back-up plan. It’s not up to us, we have given everything we can give.”
