Brexit vote: European Union closes ranks in response

Chief EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said Brussels had nothing more to offer and must now brace for the possibility of a messy divorce.

Theresa May finds herself without a voice, or a friend — A photo provided by the U.K. Parliament shows Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May speaking at the start of the debate on the second meaningful vote on the government’s Brexit deal at the House of Commons in London, March 12, 2019.

Leaders of the European Union closed ranks on Wednesday, lamenting Britain’s rejection of a Brexit deal while cautiously entertaining the idea of an extension.

Despite concessions providing a legal time limit on the Irish backstop, an issue that has long vexed British lawmakers, the UK Parliament rejected an exit deal from the EU.

EU reaction

Chief EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said Brussels had nothing more to offer and must now brace for the possibility of a messy divorce. “The EU has done everything it can to help get the Withdrawal Agreement over the line,” Barnier tweeted. “The impasse can only be solved in the #UK. Our ‘no-deal’ preparations are now more important than ever before.”