Germany: No-deal Brexit closer than ever

By Ayhan Simsek

BERLIN (AA) - The risk of a no-deal Brexit has become more likely than ever after the U.K. parliament rejected a revised withdrawal agreement, Germany warned.

“We are moving closer towards a no-deal Brexit with this decision,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Twitter, and criticized MPs who voted against the improved deal.

“Rejecting the Brexit deal amounts to jeopardizing citizens' and economy's well-being,” he said.

British Prime Minister Theresa May’s “improved” Brexit deal failed to pass the U.K. parliament on Tuesday evening after being voted down by a majority of 149 members.

Tuesday's vote saw 391 MPs voting against the EU withdrawal agreement, political declaration and three newly added documents, which included extra assurances from the EU to address concerns on the Brexit deal. Some 242 MPs voted for the deal.

Germany’s top diplomat said his country prepared itself in the best possible way for the worst case scenario.

“However, we still hope that we can avoid an unregulated Brexit -- it is still in the hands of the House of Commons to do that,” he said.

British lawmakers are set to vote on Wednesday whether the U.K. leaves the EU without a deal. And on Thursday, they will vote on postponing the Brexit date, slated for the end of the month.