EU’s Michel Barnier sees risk of no-deal Brexit more than ever

The risk of a no-deal Brexit is up sharply and the EU must step up its emergency planning, the bloc's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, said Wednesday.

The EU told Britain it could have a different kind of Brexit deal after its parliament overwhelmingly rejected the one negotiated by Prime Minister Theresa May, but only if London changes its key demands.

Addressing the European Parliament on Wednesday, EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier defended the agreement struck with May that was crushed the previous evening by an alliance of British lawmakers on opposing sides of the Brexit divide.

"We're only 10 weeks away from the end of the month of March that is the moment chosen by the British government to become a third country," Barnier said. "We are fearing more than ever the risk of a no deal.

"We must remain lucid and clear in our approach, which is why we are stepping up our efforts to be prepared for that possibility," Barnier continued, adding: "We will have to speed up our efforts working with all the stakeholders and partners who will be called on to take contingency measures to face possible consequences of that outcome."

Barnier indicated that one way forward would be for Britain to accept even closer alignment with EU regulations to secure a very close trading relationship in the future.

Referring to statements by the European Parliament and all the other member states, Barnier said: “If the United Kingdom chooses to let its red lines change in future, and that it takes this choice for its advantage of the ambition of going beyond a simple but not negligible free-trade accord, then the European Union would be ready immediately to ... respond favorably.”

“We have respected and we continue to respect the democratic parliamentary debate in the UK and I will not speculate on the different scenarios. What yesterday’s vote showed is that the political conditions for the ratification of the withdrawal agreement are not yet there in London.”

Some EU lawmakers have called for Britain to put the question of remaining in the EU to a second referendum. The chair of EU summits, Donald Tusk, suggested on Tuesday that division in Britain could lead to Brexit being canceled.