A senior MEP warned tonight that Britain must soon ‘face the abyss’ of No Deal after the Commons rejected every Brexit alternative for a second time.
Guy Verhofstadt said a hard Brexit ‘becomes nearly inevitable’ as MPs in London continue to reject every option.
The negotiated Brexit deal has been trounced three times and in two rounds of indicative votes, MPs have now rejected 12 motions and approved none.
Mr Verhofstadt, the European Parliament’s Brexit coordinator, reacted within moments of the latest vote.
His intervention came after a leading German politician branded Brexit a ‘big s**show’ that is like a Shakesperean tragedy.
Guy Verhofstadt said a hard Brexit ‘becomes nearly inevitable’ as MPs in London continue to reject every option
Mr Verhofstadt, the European Parliament’s Brexit coordinator, reacted within moments of the latest vote
Mr Verhofstadt, tweeted: ‘The House of Commons again votes against all options.
‘A hard Brexit becomes nearly inevitable. On Wednesday, the U.K. has a last chance to break the deadlock or face the abyss.’
Earlier today, Mr Verhofstadt described Brexit as a ‘tragic reality’ and urged MPs to find a compromise in tonight’s votes.
He tweeted: ‘Brexit is not a bad April Fool’s Joke, but a tragic reality for all our citizens and business.
‘It is now five to midnight. Today MPs must find a compromise & stop this chaos.
‘This evening, for once voting ‘Yes’, instead of every time voting ‘No’.’
On Saturday Germany’s Europe minister Michael Roth made the pithy assessment as he blasted Theresa May’s Cabinet of being out of touch with the people, admitting that he was speaking ‘very undiplomatically’.
He told a meeting of the Social Democratic Party in Berlin on Saturday that 90 per cent of Theresa May’s top ministers had ‘no idea how workers think, live, work and behave’, Bloomberg reported.
He also lashed out at politicians ‘born with silver spoons in their mouths, who went to private schools and elite universities’ who would not suffer as a result of any messy Brexit.
According to Bloomberg he said: ‘I don’t know if William Shakespeare could have come up with such a tragedy but who will foot the bill?’
Michael Roth lashed out at UK politicians at an event in berlin on Saturday
Guy Verhofstadt urged UK politicians to find a compromise they could all support when they take part in indicative votes in Parliament tonight
In a sign that patience is wearing very thin on the Continent the European Parliament’s Brexit co-ordinator Guy
And European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker told Italian public TV channel Rai 1: ‘Our British friends we have had a lot of patience, but even patience is running out.’
Dozens of Theresa May’s ministers are free to back a customs union with the EU tonight as the Prime Minister caved in and offered her MPs a free vote.
Brexiteer and Remainer ministers are now in an open war with both factions ready to quit to force Mrs May towards either No Deal or a softer Brexit.
MPs will decide tonight on whether to try to force the Prime Minister to shift to a customs union or Norway-style soft Brexit.
Today it was revealed that Tories will be given a free vote on the alternatives to Mrs May’s deal with 25 or more junior ministers predicted to be ready to back a softer Brexit.
Cabinet ministers have been told to abstain but with a growing rift between remainers and Brexiteers in the Government some could choose to vote for a customs union and resign.
Tory Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg today said he is ‘very concerned’ that Theresa May will add a customs union onto her Brexit deal.
He told LBC radio: ‘My concern is that the Prime Minister is more concerned to avoid a No Deal Brexit than anything else. And therefore I am very concerned that she could decide to go for a customs union tacked onto her deal.’
Mr Rees-Mogg also said Friday’s vote on the Brexit deal would ‘probably have gone through’ if it had been Mrs May’s deal versus a general election.
No10 is braced for a possible Cabinet walkout as early as tomorrow when ministers debate whether to accept Parliament’s demands.
Senior ministers have warned the Prime Minister she would ‘destroy’ the Tory party and put Jeremy Corbyn in No 10 if she gives in to demands to adopt a soft Brexit.
Dozens of Theresa May’s ministers are free to back a customs union with the EU tonight as the Prime Minister caved in and offered her MPs a free vote. Brexiteer and Remainer ministers are now in an open war with both factions ready to quit to force Mrs May towards either No Deal or a softer Brexit
If she were to give way to a softer Brexit, Mrs May would provoke a furious reaction from Brexiteers, with International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt and Transport Secretary Chris Grayling among the ministers reportedly ready to resign.
But more than 170 Tory MPs, including 10 Cabinet ministers, have already signed a blunt, two-paragraph letter to Mrs May reminding her of the party’s manifesto commitment to take Britain out of both the customs union and the single market.
The letter urges her to take the UK out of the EU without a deal on April 12 if she cannot get her own deal through Parliament in the coming days.
Today Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss said: ‘I don’t have any fear of No Deal – what would be worse is if we don’t Brexit at all’.
But, regarding expectations Mrs May will try a fourth vote on her deal, she said: ‘I think the answer lies in modifications to the Prime Minister’s deal to be able to get that to have support’.
She also warned the PM against lurching towards a customs union deal because ‘it’s not clear that going softer is the way to command support’ – but ruled out quitting.