European Council president Donald Tusk said Britain would mostly hurt itself if it left the European Union without an agreement.
“We will not be intimidated by threats that no #Brexit deal is good for the UK and bad for EU. No deal bad for everyone, above all for UK,” Mr Tusk tweeted.
He also reiterated his criticism of plans to allow some of the remaining 27 EU states to foster closer ties after Brexit.
“Main objective is and must be to strengthen mutual trust, unity among EU27, not multi-speed,” Mr Tusk, who chairs EU leaders’ meetings, said on Twitter.
Meanwhile a senior Scottish National Party figure has said British prime minister Theresa May has time to give Scotland a Brexit carve-out and avoid a second independence referendum.
SNP Westminster group leader Angus Robertson called on Ms May to offer a compromise to "protect Scotland's place in Europe" in exit negotiations. His comments suggest a commitment from Ms May to try to keep Scotland in the European Union, or at least the single market, would be enough to avoid a second independence vote.
But an SNP source denied reports that Nicola Sturgeon would attempt to get an independent Scotland into the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), which includes Norway and Iceland and participates in the single market, rather than rejoin the EU as a full member.
It came as a YouGov poll for the London Times suggested 57 per cent of Scottish voters want to stay in the UK and 43 per cent want independence, once "don't knows" and those not prepared to vote were excluded. Mr Robertson told the Guardian: "There may only be days, may only be weeks, but all of our efforts are currently focused on trying to convince the UK Government to come to a compromise agreement protecting Scotland's place in Europe.
"If that road runs out and if we have to have that referendum, we will be turning our attention to making sure that we are making the case publicly, intellectually and in every other way so people understand the choice of a hard Tory Brexit Britain or a Scotland able to maintain its relations with the rest of Europe."
Mr Robertson went on: "If the UK Government genuinely believes in a United Kingdom [it must] take the needs, interests and concerns of the different parts of the UK seriously."
- Reuters/PA
