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Reports: France sees no-deal Brexit as 'most likely' scenario

The U.K. crashing out of the European Union without a withdrawal agreement has become the baseline Brexit scenario for France as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson continues to oppose the Irish backstop solution, newswires reported Aug. 21, citing an official in French President Emmanuel Macron's office.

Johnson's demand to remove the backstop from the pending Brexit deal with the EU "limits the possibility of reaching an agreement," the French official said, according to Reuters.

Brussels has repeatedly said it will not renegotiate the withdrawal agreement, which was struck by Johnson's predecessor, Theresa May, and rejected three times by the U.K. House of Commons.

"[German Chancellor Angela Merkel] has said it and we are saying it, the scenario that is becoming the most likely is one of 'no deal,'" the French official was quoted as saying by Agence France-Presse.

The French official also dismissed Johnson's claim that the U.K. will not need to pay a so-called Brexit divorce bill worth £39 billion if it leaves the EU by Oct. 31 without a deal. "There's no magic wand that makes this bill disappear," the official said.

The official made the comments ahead of Johnson's meetings with Merkel and Macron on Aug. 21 and 22, respectively.

In a joint news conference with Johnson, Merkel said a solution for the Irish backstop issue might be found "in the next 30 days," The Associated Press reported.