A clean, ‘No Deal’ Brexit would break up Britain by pushing Scotland to demand another independence referendum, the former president of the European Council has claimed.
Herman Van Rompuy, also a former Prime Minister of Belgium, said he thought the British government’s public preparations for and warning about leaving the bloc without a deal was an “operation fear” tactic.
The European Union (EU) would not fall for it and offer the United Kingdom extra concessions, he said, claiming the British would lose more.
He told the Observer: “The ‘No Deal’ issue is not just a problem for the UK or Brussels. It is also an existential threat to the UK itself.
“One can imagine that a no deal will have a big impact and cause concern in some of the regions. Speaking of Scotland, it could have consequences for them and others.”
The former EU Council chief continued: “We could end up with a situation in which the EU27 becomes more united and a United Kingdom less united.
“This talk about a ‘No Deal’ is the kind of nationalist rhetoric that belongs to another era.”
Mr Van Rompuy also argued that ‘no-deal’ Brexit could lead to another General Election in Britain.
He said: “If there is no House of Commons support for no deal, then you are very close to new elections.
“If you have new elections, then Article 50 will have to be postponed, because it will not be clear that you will have a Government – or a Government with a programme.”
Nicola Sturgeon, who leads the separatist Scottish National Party (SNP), has made similar arguments against a clean break with the Brussels bloc.
On Thursday, she tweeted: “A ‘no deal’ Brexit would be an unmitigated disaster — and the fact that UK govt is even talking about it is evidence of their abject failure.
“That they once had the nerve to tell us that independence threatened our place in Europe adds insult to injury. Scotland deserves better.”
However, recent polling suggests only 22 percent of Scots want another referendum on leaving the United Kingdom immediately after Brexit.
Last week, the British government released 25 document advising business and citizens on preparations for a ‘No Deal’ Brexit.
The Brexit minister Dominic Raab insisted the outcome is still “unlikely” but international trade secretary Dr Liam Fox believes there is a 60 percent chance of leaving the bloc without a deal.