EU Brexit negotiator says the risk of no-deal Brexit remains

Brussels – The European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator is warning that the risk of having Britain leaving the 28-nation bloc without a ratified deal still remains.

Michael Barnier said during a speech in Brussels that a no-deal Brexit “could happen at the end of January” if British lawmakers fail to ratify the new divorce agreement between the EU and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The EU has allowed Britain to delay its Brexit departure up to Jan. 31. Britain, meanwhile, is holding a new election on Dec. 12.

Once the divorce deal is ratified, Britain will remain inside the bloc’s single market and bound by its rules until the end of December 2020, while the two sides devise a new trade relationship during a transition period.

Barnier said a no-deal Brexit “could also happen at the end of 2020.”