French PM Philippe warns of possibility of ‘no-deal’ Brexit

Ongoing political uncertainty in Britain over Brexit has raised concerns about whether the agreement it struck with Brussels to leave the EU would end up being ratified, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said on Thursday. “We need to prepare ourselves for the possibility of a ‘no-deal’ Brexit,” Philippe said during a visit to Dunkirk. Locals in the port city in northern France are concerned about the impact of Brexit on business and trade, Reuters said. “It will escape no one that the current political situation in Britain could fuel uncertainty… over the ratification of the accord,” the PM said, referring to the resignation of several British ministers over the deal. Philippe said the withdrawal agreement, reached between Britain and the EU, was a “step forward,” but crucially it now depends on ratification by Britain’s parliament as well as the parliaments of the EU and the 27 other EU member states.