The European Union’s 27 leaders are to ratchet up the pressure on Theresa May by giving her a strong warning about the growing risk of a no-deal Brexit, as countries across Europe confirmed they were intensifying work on their contingency plans for Britain crashing out of the bloc.



With a complete absence of progress on key issues, including that of avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland, the prime minister will be pressed at a summit in Brussels to reassure her fellow leaders about her intentions.

The Danish prime minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, told his parliament in Copenhagen on Wednesday: “It is the first time we are saying clearly to the British that we can end, in the worst scenario, [with] no deal.”

May has agreed to address the leaders at a dinner on Thursday night after discussions with Donald Tusk, the European council president, earlier this week in Downing Street.

She is expected to sketch out her intentions for the coming few weeks before they come to their conclusions on the state of the negotiations the following morning.

Asked whether Tusk was more confident about the future following his last meeting with May, a senior EU official laughed, adding: “Well, I don’t think he is less optimistic.”

On the so-called backstop solution for the Irish border – a default state to be in place until a free trade deal or bespoke technological solution is agreed – the official said there had “frankly been no progress, and that’s reason to express concern”.

He said: “I think that is why they have agreed with Theresa May that it would be useful for the prime minister of the United Kingdom to sketch out the intention of the UK government in the weeks to come.”

May is convening a meeting of her cabinet at Chequers on Friday, where she hopes to find agreement among her squabbling ministers on a white paper on the future EU-UK relationship, to be published the following week.

One senior diplomat attached to a member state embassy in Brussels said: “We are hoping to hear from her that she is leaving behind her red-lines and bringing forward a credible paper. A credible paper would be something as close as possible to the present situation. The other options are also credible but they are not very nice.

“Some of the red lines that have been in her speeches have made it very difficult to come to a trading relationship close to the present situation.”

Spain has also expressed its concern that an agreement has yet to be struck with the UK over the future of Gibraltar. However the failure of the UK to live up to its promise in the December joint report on a solution to the Irish border remains the issue most likely to upend the talks.

Arriving in Brussels, the Irish taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, described the lack of progress as “very disappointing”, and that Dublin was intensifying work on its contingency plans.

He said: “Time is running out for the withdrawal agreement to be concluded satisfactorily by the October European council [meeting].

“I expect EU leaders to send a strong message to the UK that negotiations … need to intensify. Preparations and contingency planning continue in Ireland and are intensifying for all outcomes.”

A French government source said they were preparing for all scenarios, but that Friday’s message was serious. This is the last summit before October when, theoretically at least, the withdrawal treaty should be decided. If not, it will be a big problem, the source said.