EU’s Next Chief Says She Still Hopes Britain Doesn’t Leave

(Bloomberg) -- The woman designated to be the most powerful official in the European Union said she hopes the U.K. stays in the bloc after all.

In a clear indication that she will try to prevent the U.K. leaving without a deal, Ursula von der Leyen, nominee for next European Commission president, told EU lawmakers that if Britain does leave it has to be on the best possible terms. She said the country should be allowed to postpone its departure again if needed.

“We want you to remain,” she said, addressing a British member of the European Parliament in Brussels.

“When the United Kingdom needs more time, then I believe it’s right,” she said. ”Not only the economic consequences but also the relations among countries” of the U.K. leaving without a deal would be ”catastrophic,” she said.

Von der Leyen was chosen to lead the EU’s executive by national leaders but she still needs the support of parliament. She will start in post the day after Britain leaves the bloc -- if it sticks to its latest deadline of Oct. 31.

Boris Johnson, the frontrunner to succeed Theresa May as prime minister, said he’d take the U.K. out of the EU on that date “do or die.”

But von der Leyen poured cold water on the idea that the EU would consider renegotiating the Brexit agreement, which hasn’t been approved by the U.K. Parliament, saying it was a “good deal” that paved the way to constructive talks over the relationship in the years to come.

“In case we’re going to have Brexit, I’m convinced it is crucial how the tone is, and attitude with which Brexit happens,” she said. “Because Brexit is not the end of something, Brexit is the beginning of future relations.”

--With assistance from Jonathan Stearns.

To contact the reporters on this story: Ian Wishart in Brussels at iwishart@bloomberg.net;Marine Strauss in Brussels at mstrauss30@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, Emma Ross-Thomas

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