EU is preparing for no deal Brexit, says senior official

Stefaan De Rynck, an adviser to EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, said the European Union (EU) does not want a "no deal" scenario but is preparing for one.

Key quotes (Source BBC)

Brexit is a process we want to manage in a calm and rational way.

There is a clear negative impact from no deal, I think that that is clear, for both sides but especially for the UK economy. But it is not a scenario people want to work towards.

We are preparing for it, that is for sure, at 27 [the other 27 EU states] but it is not a scenario that we in the negotiation room want to bring in that negotiation room. On going to the wire, we would certainly want to avoid that.