A French diplomat says Britain's no-deal exit from the
European Union at the end of October now is the central scenario.
The diplomat, speaking anonymously in accordance with the French presidency's customary practices, said the EU will continue discussions with Britain's Prime Minister
Boris Johnson but will remain firm on its lines of negotiation: protecting the European single market and preserving peace and stability in Ireland.
Johnson wants to scrap a contentious clause designed to prevent the return of checks along the
Irish border, which
London says could leave
Britain tied to the bloc indefinitely.