A disastrous no-deal Brexit is more likely than ever," said Guy Verhofstadt, a Belgian europhile who deals with Brexit as a member of the European Parliament, which must sign off on any final divorce agreement. Brexit had been due to happen on March 29 before May secured a delay at an EU leaders summit last week. THE BREXIT PLASTER"We don't want a no-deal Brexit, we'd much rather have the Withdrawal Agreement, but if it is to be a no-deal, let's do it quickly," said the EU official under condition of anonymity. Contingency plans are temporary and would not solve all the problems that would arise, another EU official said. After last week's EU leaders summit, diplomats said there was still work to do to prepare for a no-deal Brexit in countries including Ireland and Belgium.

Source: The Star March 25, 2019 19:07 UTC