Brussels is ready for Brexit to be reversed, says Tusk

‘Make it as painless as possible’

DONALD Tusk said yesterday that Brussels was ready for Brexit to be reversed as EU officials warned that Britain could not expect to renegotiate the exit deal.

The EU Council president said the bloc was more prepared for a ‘no Brexit’ scenario than a ‘no deal’ one.

Meanwhile, European Union officials insisted that they would not throw Mrs May a lifeline by rewriting the 585-page withdrawal pact, saying they could compromise no further.

When asked about events in London at a press conference yesterday Mr Tusk said: ‘It’s obvious for me Brexit is the most important issue today for the EU and for the rest of the world.

‘It is not for me to comment on the latest developments in London. All I can say is that the EU is prepared for a final deal with the United Kingdom in November.’

But he added: ‘We are also prepared for a no deal scenario, but of course we are best prepared for a no Brexit scenario.’ He then grinned broadly.

Last night, German chancellor Angela Merkel also suggested there could be no return to the negotiating table.

‘We have a document on the table that Britain and the EU27 have agreed to, so for me there is no question at the moment whether we negotiate further,’ she said.

Earlier, during a joint press conference, Mr Tusk and the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, held aloft a copy of the proposed withdrawal deal.

Mr Tusk said: ‘I took good note of Prime Minister May’s statement yesterday [in Downing Street]. Of course 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 loselose situation and that our negotiations are only about damage control.’

He also announced that a special Brexit summit would take place on November 25 to finalise a deal provided that ‘nothing extraordinary happens’ between now and that date.

Suggesting EU member states would also have to swallow the deal, he called for EU ambassadors not to make ‘too many comments’ when they scrutinise it today.

On Monday ministers from the 27 remaining EU states will also analyse the text.

Mr Tusk added: ‘Let me say this to our British friends. As much as I am sad to see you leave I will do everything to make this farewell as painless as possible both for you and for us.’

His suggestion that the EU is prepared for a Brexit reversal rallied Remainers yesterday.

Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable said: ‘It’s good to see that “no Brexit” is clearly on the table from the EU.’

Mr Barnier hailed Wednesday’s announcement of a deal as ‘a very important moment’ which ‘lays the ground for an ambitious partnership’, adding: ‘What we have agreed at negotiators’ level is fair and balanced.’

But he also warned: ‘Our work is not finished – we still have a long road ahead of us on both sides. We have no time to lose.’

It came as eurocrats insisted they could compromise no further on the proposed treaty, scotching hopes that they could return to the negotiating table if Mrs May is toppled or the UK parliament votes it down.

A leading EU official said: ‘On both sides we have exhausted our margin of manoeuvre under our respective mandates.

‘We are happy to stand over this agreement and we think this is the best we can do collectively with the restraints we have on both sides.’

Guy Verhofstadt, the EU parliament’s Brexit co-ordinator, said: ‘There is not a lot of room for manoeuvre to say, “OK, let’s start again”.’