No-deal Brexit 'very real' possibility: EU leader
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said Wednesday that a no-deal exit by England from the European Union is a "very real" possibility.
Juncker also said that progress is not being made on a key sticking point: what to do at the Ireland border. He said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has not submitted possible alternatives that would maintain peace between Ireland and Northern Ireland.
"That is why I called on the British prime minister to come forward with concrete proposals, operational and in writing on all alternatives that would allow us to reach these objectives," Juncker said.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker listens Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019 in Strasbourg, eastern France, as members of the European Parliament discuss the current state of play of the UK's withdrawal from the EU. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Bad
"I asked the British prime minister to specify the alternative arrangements that he could envisage," he continued. "As long as such proposals are not made, I cannot tell you — while looking you straight in the eye — that progress is being made."
The European Parliament approved a nonbinding resolution Wednesday to give England extra time for leaving, if the country decides that it wants more time. Two times previously, Britain has postponed Brexit, but Johnson says his country is leaving the EU with or without an agreement on Oct. 31.
Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage, left middle row, and other Parliament Members vote a resolution for the UK withdrawal from the EU, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2019 in Strasbourg. Members of the European Parliament discuss the current state of play of the
The British people voted to leave the EU in a June 2016 referendum called for by then-Prime Minister David Cameron.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was voted into office this summer, in a pro-Brexit campaign, and has asserted that England will leave the European Union on the last day of October of this year, whether a deal is done or not, in order to honor the will of the voters.
His critics in British Parliament have warned that a no-deal Brexit would mean food and medicine shortages, travel issues and difficulty keeping the Irish border operational.
Juncker, who on Monday sat down with Johnson, told the European Parliament that the possibility of England leaving the EU with no deal "might be the choice of the U.K, but it will never be ours."
Johnson recently suspended British Parliament from Sept. 9 to Oct. 14, and the legality of the prime minister's move is being argued in England's Supreme Court.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.