UPDATE 1-No-deal Brexit would be "tragedy", EU will stick to agreement -official

Any no-deal Brexit would be a "tragedy" for both the EU and Britain but the bloc will stick to the withdrawal agreement with London, a deputy head of the European Commission said on Tuesday.

Frans Timmermans was speaking as Boris Johnson was due to be named the new UK prime minister in London. Johnson, a leading face of the Brexit campaign before the 2016 UK referendum, has repeatedly expressed his intention to either renegotiate the stalled divorce agreement with the bloc or leave without a deal by an Oct 31 deadline.

"A no-deal Brexit, a hard Brexit, would be a tragedy - for all sides, not just for the United Kingdom," Timmermans told a news conference. "We are all going to suffer if that happens." "The United Kingdom reached an agreement with the European Union and the European Union will stick to that agreement," Timmermans said. "We will hear what the new prime minister has to say when he comes to Brussels... This is the best deal possible."

The EU is bracing for a no-deal Brexit, or another delay to Britain's departure should Johnson follow through on his promises as Britain's leader. Timmermans said the EU would hold the line on Brexit and that Johnson's flamboyant "character or persona or attitude" made no difference.

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