Merkel under pressure at home on preparations for no-deal Brexit

Berlin (dpa) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel‘s contingency plan for a no-deal Brexit is inadequate, a leader of Germany‘s pro-business FDP opposition party told dpa on Wednesday, just hours before she was set to address parliament on the issue."The chancellor is under enormous pressure to explain [her stance] on Brexit," said Marco Buschmann, a leading member of the FDP‘s parliamentary group. "She has not been able to explain to parliament how she has prepared for a hard Brexit scenario, which is becoming increasingly likely after the failure of talks," Buschmann said.A hard Brexit arrangement would likely see Britain give up full access to the single market and the customs union, and would give Britain full control over its borders.London and Brussels have reached an impasse on the terms of Britain‘s departure from the EU, including a limited transition period during which detailed negotiations on the future trade relationship can take place.British Prime Minister Theresa May told parliament on Monday that a deal was still achievable, and that negotiations were in the "final stages," but held up by differences about how to keep an open border on the island of Ireland.Merkel was due to address the Bundestag with a statement on Brexit negotiations at 1 pm (1100 GMT), ahead of an EU summit starting in Brussels later on Wednesday.