Europe has done it again. Despite French President’s Emmanuel Macron’s reluctance to give the UK a long Brexit extension, the EU leaders have agreed the apparently interminable process can be delayed until October 31, with a school report on Britain’s behavior in June.
And while everyone is focusing on that Halloween deadline, it’s really the June date that’s the more significant.
Just three weeks ago, May told lawmakers in the House of Commons that she could not “as Prime Minister” delay Britain’s departure from the European Union beyond June 30. After that, Britain would be obliged to send representatives to the European Parliament, where a new session begins on July 1.
Theresa May, remember, staked her premiership on delivering Brexit within the original two-year timetable of the Article 50 process. If she can’t get it done by then, something will have to give.
It almost doesn’t matter what that is – a cross-party deal that allows a Brexit deal to pass, a second referendum to break the deadlock, a general election that finally sees off May. What’s clear is that European leaders are done with the current impasse where the UK can’t get its act together to leave, yet the EU is unwilling to force it out.
“The choices we now face are stark and the timetable is clear,” British Prime Minister Theresa May tells an early-morning news conference in Brussels.
“It’s very clear that we will continue to abide by our obligations … We will continue to abide by our duty of sincere cooperation.”
“I’m clear that we should all be working now in the UK to make sure that we can find a way forward in Parliament … to ratify the Withdrawal Agreement,” she adds.
May repeats several times that she had hoped UK Parliament would ratify the Withdrawal Agreement. But she continues to stick to her main lines – that Britain can still leave the EU earlier than October 31 if her deal with the EU is passed by lawmakers.
Theresa May says the ability of Britain to break the extension if it passes a deal was her “key request of my fellow leaders.”
The British Prime Minister adds that the UK will not have to take part in European elections if parliament passes her Withdrawal Agreement.
If the UK can agree a deal by May 22, the country will not have to hold European elections.
“I know that there is huge frustration from many people that I had to request this extension,” she adds – but repeats that the UK must leave in a “smooth and orderly way.”
“We must now press on with pace” in achieving a consensus. She confirms she will be making a statement in the House of Commons on Thursday, and talks would be continuing with the Labour party.
“Nothing is more pressing or more vital” than finding a conclusion to Brexit, she says.
EU Council President Donald Tusk says he is expecting “sincere cooperation” from the UK during the extension period, adding that “we have only good experiences with Theresa May’s government.”
“I trust what Theresa May has declared today,” he adds.
He also says the UK will be a full member state during the period, maintaining all of its rights. “The UK will continue its sincere cooperation as a full member state, with all its rights, and as a close friend and trusted ally in the future.”
Juncker plays down fears that the UK will cause trouble within the EU during its extension period, joking that this is “nothing new.” He adds that the ability of Britain to block decisions taken by the bloc is limited.
EU Council President Donald Tusk urges the UK, “please do not waste this time.”
Speaking after announcing an agreed extension until October 2019, Tusk says the “course of action will be entirely in the UK’s hands.”
“I think it’s always better to have a piece of something than a lot of nothing,” Tusk adds in response to a question about whether enough progress can be achieved in six months. He adds that he is hopeful that a breakthrough can occur in that time.
The review in June is “only to update us on the progress” regarding the ratification process. “June is not for decision about extension,” he adds. “My intention is not to discuss but only to inform he member states about the current situation.”
“It’s not a negotiation session,” Juncker adds.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker says the summit was a “sometimes difficult” meeting.
“In June, when we meet again, we will not be re-negotiating among ourselves or with the UK,” he says. “The Withdrawal Agreement must be respected in its entirety. We don’t want the Withdrawal Agreement to be called into question.”
“There will probably be European elections in the United Kingdom. That may seem a bit odd, but rules are rules,” he adds.
Juncker also laments the lack of attention from the media about achievements from the EU that aren’t related to Brexit.
EU Council President Donald Tusk confirms the details of the flexible extension in his news conference in Brussels – an October 31 end date, with a review period in June.
He says the extension is shorter than he expected, but adds it can be ended early if Britain passes its Withdrawal Agreement.
“It can also reconsider the whole Brexit strategy,” he adds – but notes the Withdrawal Agreement is confirmed.
“Until the end of this period, the UK will also have the possibility to revoke Article 50 and cancel Brexit altogether,” Tusk says.
EU Council President Donald Tusk and Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker are giving a news conference, setting out the details of the Brexit extension.
Follow it here.
EU Council President Donald Tusk has confirmed the flexible October 31 extension has been agreed by the UK, writing that it gives Britain time to “find the best possible solution.”
Tusk made no mention of the June review date in his tweet – though full details of the plan will be revealed at his news conference, which is expected imminently.
The Brexit delay has been delayed.
EU leaders agreed to a six-month Brexit extension a short while ago.
But the promised news conferences from Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker, and then Theresa May, have still not materialized.
The wait is reportedly due to some minor quibbles from May’s camp to the plan presented to her by European leaders, it is understood. An EU official has told CNN that the two camps “are sorting detail.”
The long night in Brussels isn’t over just yet.
The EU has agreed to delay Brexit until Halloween – but British Prime Minister Theresa May must still accept the plan.
Officials are “still in suspense” over whether May has taken up the EU on the offer, a diplomat tells CNN.
EU Council President Donald Tusk tweeted he would be meeting with May to present the offer, and May will need to decide whether it’s a trick or a treat from European leaders.
Photographers and journalists are anxiously waiting outside the UK’s briefing room, where Theresa May is expected to speak shortly.
May has arrived back at the EU Council to meet with Donald Tusk and give her agreement to the October 31 delay to the Brexit process.
Cameras are being neatly lined up in order to grab a good spot for her news conference.
Malta’s Prime Minister, Joseph Muscat, has said on Twitter that a October 31 extension is “sensible,” and will allow Britain to “finally choose its way.”
EU leaders have agreed to grant the UK an extension to Brexit until 31 October, with a review in June, an EU diplomat has told CNN.
It means Britain will not crash out of the EU without a deal on Friday, as it had previously been on course to do.
The six-month delay makes it almost inevitable that the UK will have to hold European elections in May, unless Prime Minister Theresa May can force a deal through Parliament before then.
May had asked for a far shorter extension, until June 30. The lengthy postponement demonstrates a lack of faith within Europe that she can forge a consensus behind her Withdrawal Agreement in that time – but could give hardliners within her own party enough time to attempt to force her out of her post.
French President Emmanuel Macron had been the major opponent to granting Britain a long extension, but German Chancellor Angela Merkel and many other leaders are understood to have favored the approach.
EU Council President Donald Tusk has confirmed that European leaders have agreed to an extension – without providing details. He will now meet with Theresa May to put the plan to her.
British Prime Minister Theresa May has arrived back at the European Council summit.
It was expected she would be summoned back when an extension had been agreed by EU leaders.
May will be presented with the details and have to agree to the plan before it is confirmed.
While the 27 remaining EU leaders debate the fate of her flagship policy, Theresa May is keeping herself occupied.
May left the room hours earlier after making her pitch for a Brexit extension until June 30.
Since then, she has been nearby the European Council with her team, waiting to here what her counterparts decide.
It’s possible she could be called back on short notice at any moment – if the leaders are nearing a consensus.
For the second time in a matter of weeks, EU leaders are talking Brexit late into the night – and showing scant regard for the print deadlines of British newspapers.
That means the first editions of Thursday’s papers are filling in the blanks – and a few are getting creative in doing so.
The Metro, a free newspaper read by commuters, has found a way to tie in one of the day’s other big stories – the first ever picture of a black hole – with the ongoing Brexit chaos. As it happens, the news conference unveiling the groundbreaking image was also in Brussels, across town from where EU leaders are debating a Brexit extension.
Several papers lead on speculation swirling around Westminster. The Guardian – also enamored with the historic image from space – reports that Theresa May will attempt to hold onto power for another year. The i newspaper has the same story, as does The Times.
Any such plan will infuriate many hardline Brexiteers in May’s own party – and the Telegraph reports that she will be given a month before Conservative MPs make a move and attempt to oust her.
Emmanuel Macron has told European leaders he isn’t yet convinced that Britain should be granted a long extension to Brexit, an EU diplomat has told CNN.?
The French President, still locked in talks with other EU leaders, said he has “heard nothing yet that has convinced (him) that it might be useful to go beyond June 30,” the date requested by the British Prime Minister but widely dismissed by many leaders as too short a period.
The diplomat said the discussions are still in the “first phase,”?so a date for a delay has not yet been agreed and talks are “ongoing.”
“There’s no date in the conclusion document yet. So they’re still explaining their initial position. He’s saying June 30 now, but doesn’t mean it will be his last position. It’s just where he’s coming from,” the diplomat said.??
It’s after 11 p.m. in Brussels and as the summit continues, talk has turned to a hypothetical question: what happens if French President Emmanuel Macron doesn’t play ball and crashes the talks?
Disclaimer: we have received no intel to suggest that this could happen. Further disclaimer: the situations below are both entirely hypothetical and, in some instances, unprecedented. That said, let’s get into it.
If Macron does decide to give the UK a firm “non” to any kind of extension, then Brexit day is on April 12, which the eagle-eyed among you will note is Friday. This leaves the UK with (as far as we can work out) three options. Let’s go through them in order of complexity.
No-deal Brexit: In this scenario, the clock simply runs down and the UK leaves the EU on Friday without an agreement in place. The UK will immediately be outside of single market, customs union and all the other fun EU bodies you’ve come to know and love over the past three years. With the least popular outcome in the House of Commons suddenly a reality, political turmoil would ensue.
May’s deal’s last stand: In a mad rush to avoid a no deal, Theresa May could try to reach a compromise with the Labour Party – perhaps confirmatory votes on the future relationship to get the deal approved by Friday. This would start the implementation period and the cliff edge would be avoided. With relative calm and order restored, political chaos would ensue.
Revoke article 50: This is the complicated one. The UK, as we have known since December, can unilaterally withdraw Article 50, thus ending the Brexit process for good and remaining a member state of the European Union.
But it’s not that simple. The European Court of Justice said in its ruling that, while the UK can indeed revoke Article 50 unilaterally, it would have to do so in “accordance with its constitutional requirements.” In the opinion of the ECJ’s advocate general, the UK set a precedent of requiring parliamentary approval for Article 50. Therefore, it is is logical “that the revocation of that notification also requires parliamentary approval.”
Ramming an act of parliament – or a bill – through in two days is tricky. The government could either table a bill, which requires debate and for the proposed bill to be scrutinized by parliament via a drawn out legislative process.
This can takes days, weeks or months, though as the so-called Cooper Bill to avoid no-deal Brexit proved last week, they can be forced through in a couple of days.
An easier option could be for the government to place something called a statutory instrument before the Commons. A statutory instrument is a statement of law and is generally considered to be secondary to bill. This option would be quicker, but whether it passes the ECJ test or not is a different question: the decision to trigger Article 50 was passed as a bill.
Getting all of this passed in under 48 hours would be hugely controversial and, yes, political chaos would ensue.
A final point, during the Brexit process, parliament has shown us that if it wants to do something, it usually finds a way (H/T for this observation goes to the Financial Times’s political editor, George Parker).
Given that all of this is unprecedented, a bit of a mess, unlikely to happen and it’s fast-approaching midnight here in Brussels, there is every chance I have got something wrong. Please feel free to correct me on Twitter, @lukemcgee.
British Prime Minister Theresa May came across as “decent and clear” in her presentation to the 27 EU leaders in Brussels on Wednesday night, an EU diplomat told CNN.?
May had a “clear story and narrative. She set out her position quite astutely,” the diplomat said.?
This is a marked improvement over May’s last appearance before EU leaders during the last Brexit summit, when her speech went down poorly.
No-deal Brexit is still a possible option, a French government source has told CNN.
“Jeopardizing the functioning of EU operations,” is worse than Britain crashing out, the source added.
French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to push that stance when speaking to other leaders during tonight’s EU leaders’ meetings. He will need to convince the other 26 remaining EU heads, many of whom suggested they would support a long extension to Brexit.
This post has been updated to correct the byline.
A diplomat has told CNN they doubt the updated draft conclusions for the EU summit will be enough to satisfy French President Emmanuel Macron.
Paragraph seven of the document, which stipulates that Britain will not wreck havoc with EU processes during an extension period, has been amended in an effort to ensure good behavior.
But the diplomat is doubtful that Macron will agree to those conclusions in their current form. The French President earlier told reporters that the UK must not be allowed to interfere with the “European project.”
France has been the major holdout against granting Britain an extension until now, but the leaders of countries including Spain, Belgium and Luxembourg also expressed concerns at last month’s summit.
The leader of Britain’s opposition Labour party has welcomed earlier comments by Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, who expressed hope that Britain would stay in a customs union with the EU after Brexit.
Labour has supported maintaining a customs union with the bloc after Brexit, and has spent the last several days in cross-party talks with Theresa May’s government in an effort to break the Brexit impasse.
“One thing I would like to see considered and which is under consideration is the possibility of a customs union being formed between the UK and EU,” Varadkar told reporters after arriving at the summit on Wednesday.
“Ultimately the EU is the biggest trading bloc in the world, we trade more than China, we’ve a bigger population than the US, and in a world of big blocs it’s in the interests of the UK to be part of one of those blocs,” he added.
As European leaders debate whether to grant Britain another Brexit extension, it’s expected French President Emmanuel Macron will again be playing hardball.
CNN has seen updated draft conclusions from the meeting, which have been amended over the past 24 hours. Paragraph seven of the document, which instructs Britain not to interfere with the processes of the EU, was boosted with added assurances – but it’s unclear whether that will be enough to satisfy Macron, who has raised concern over Britain’s conduct during the extension period.
“Nothing must compromise the European project in the months to come. We have a European renaissance to drive which I believe in, and I don’t want Brexit to block that,” Macron said earlier on Wednesday, indicating he may still be reluctant to grant Britain a lengthy delay.
A tweet by hardline Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg last week, saying Britain should be “as difficult as possible” during an extension period, did not play well in Brussels.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, by contrast, is understood to be more open to the idea of a longer extension. Those two are the major players in the room – and whoever is more persuasive could end up shaping the future of Brexit.
As European leaders hold crunch negotiations over Britain’s request for a delay to Brexit, they’ll be tucking into a seafood-heavy dinner.
CNN has seen the menu for the 27 leaders’ dinner, which features a scallop salad to start and a main course of cod with shrimps.
Here’s the full menu:
Starter: Warm scallop salad
Main: Loin of cod with brown shrimps and mini mushroom arancini
Dessert: Iced macadamia nut parfait
It is understood that Theresa May is having her own dinner separately, outside the Council building. It seems she may have dodged a bullet.
Despite leader after leader signalling that they support a longer Brexit delay, there remains one notable hold out: French President Emmanuel Macron.?
Whatever the outcome of Wednesday’s summit – and it’s looking like there will be an extension granted of some description – any breathing space that the EU gives the UK will be given with the express instruction that the Brexit deadlock in London needs to be broken.
That still looks unlikely: talks between the Labour Party and the Conservative Party have led nowhere, Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party are barely mentioned these days and the hardline Conservative Brexiteers have, if anything, upped their rhetoric against May’s deal.
But it’s not just in London that a long-game deadlock is starting to emerge. The contrasting tones of the Irish Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, and France’s Macron, point to the unity between European nations that has held firm for the last three years coming a little unstuck.
Arriving in Brussels, Varadkar talked not only about giving the UK a little more time to continue with cross-party talks, but encouraged his fellow European leaders to discuss the possibility of the UK remaining in a Customs Union with the EU.
Macron, conversely, stuck to his harder tone. He wanted concrete reasons for a long extension and made clear that his priority was getting on with a “European renaissance.”
The backdrop to where either leader might be coming from points to differing priorities. For Ireland, avoiding a no-deal Brexit is very important. Not only would it hit Ireland hardest economically, but it carries the very serious risk of a customs border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. That could lead to violence and a return to the dark days of the Troubles.
For Macron, positioning himself as the man at the center of Europe’s future is crucial. Macron is having problems at home. Being tough with the Brits might help bolster his image with French voters which would in turn cement his position with the rest of the EU leaders.
Should the deadlock carry on in London, Europe’s future will once again be up in the air. Until recently, May’s Withdrawal Agreement was the best compromise to keep everyone happy. But as new plans emerge, no EU member state wants to be thrown under the bus and seen as a loser for the sake of the UK, a nation waving goodbye to its European partners.
British Prime Minister Theresa May has made her case for a short Brexit delay to European leaders, and they have finished grilling her, according to the EU Council’s official spokesman.
May spoke for just over an hour, and has now left while leaders of the 27 remaining EU countries begin their own discussions about how to proceed.
European leaders have started discussions over Brexit at the crunch EU summit in Brussels.
Before sitting down, Angela Merkel clearly had something very funny to share on her tablet. It prompted big laughs from the German Chancellor, EU Council President Donald Tusk and Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel – and even garnered a smile from Theresa May.
Once the hilarity died down, May took her seat in prime position next to Tusk to begin the session. It’s unclear how long leaders will be locked in negotiations, though last month’s summit took several hours.
Theresa May will have to explain the purpose of any Brexit extension, and she’ll need to hold European elections in the event of a long delay, Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Xavier?Bettel told reporters after arriving at the EU summit.
“I would support an intelligent extension,” Bettel said. “If it’s long or short, for me the main point is that we have European elections on the 22nd of May. No elections, no extension. You can’t be a member and have no elections, that’s not possible.”
He added: “If there is a long extension, there is no lunch for free, so we need to know why there is a long extension and we need to know what is the reason why there is a longer extension. But, if the goal is to find a deal then it’s the most important thing.”
“It’s a pity that we needed a divorce to show how many advantages you have to being a member of the family,” Bettel said. “You will still be our friends, our neighbors, but not anymore around the table.”
The Irish prime minister, Leo Varadkar, told reporters that Britain staying in a customs union with the EU after Brexit should be considered by European leaders – and acknowledged that the UK would retain a say in European decisions under such an arrangement.
“One thing I would like to see considered and which is under consideration is the possibility of a customs union being formed between the UK and EU,” he told reporters after arriving at the summit.
The concept of a customs union has gained traction in the UK in recent weeks, with such an arrangement coming closest to gaining a majority during the two rounds of indicative votes in the House of Commons. The idea invariably prompts fury from hardline Brexiteers, but has seemingly become more likely since Theresa May’s Withdrawal Agreement was defeated for a third time by Parliament.
The idea of a customs union came closest to gaining a majority during?two rounds of indicative votes in the House of Commons in recent weeks. The opposition Labour Party wants May to add a customs union to her Brexit deal.
Hardline Brexiteers oppose it, because it would hamper the ability of the UK striking independent deals with other nations. The issue has proved a stumbling block in cross-party talks in the UK.
Varadkar added that he was optimistic the UK would be granted a Brexit extension. “I think the vast majority of people here at the European Union appreciate that the UK is in a difficult position,” he added. “It doesn’t want to leave without a deal, but at the moment it doesn’t want to vote for the deal and maybe half the population doesn’t want to leave at all.”
“I think the general consensus here will be to give the UK a little bit more time for the cross-party talks that are happening to conclude and we can review the situation in a few months’ time.”
Europe’s bad cop has arrived.
French President Emmanuel Macron has consistently taken a hard line in the negotiations over a Brexit delay, and he seems likely to reprise that role in tonight’s discussions.
Speaking to media after arriving at the summit, Macron told reporters that the UK shouldn’t bank on being granted a long extension, as many other leaders have suggested.
“In my view nothing should be taken for granted. Nothing,” Macron said. “I hear rumors of a long extension. We must understand the reasons behind the request, what is the political project that justifies it and what are the clear proposals.”
He said he has arrived at the summit with some “very simple principles.”
“First principle: we have a European project. The referendum happened 34 months ago and the key for us is that the EU project must continue,” he added.
“During these past 34 months we have been able to take decisions and to stay united. This union is important but the unity is still at risk. Nothing must compromise the European project in the months to come. We have a European renaissance to drive which I believe in, and I don’t want Brexit to block that.”
“The second principle which is key is to respect a democratic choice. The British people decided to leave the EU, I regret that choice, it’s not the one I wanted but we cannot contest it,” Macron went on.
“The third principle has to do with clarity. It’s time for decisions,” he concluded.
All 27 remaining EU leaders will need to agree on a path forward for Brexit at tonight’s summit. Here’s what some of them have told reporters, as they arrive at the meeting in Brussels.
Andrej Babi?, Czech Prime Minister: “I hope we will have a short discussion, not like last time (and) that we will come to some agreement and that the UK will get much more time than expected … for me, the proposal to ask until the end of March next year is fine … And finally, if you have an election and second referendum and you stay, we’ll be fine.”
Arturs Kari??, Latvian Prime Minister: “If the Brits are asking for a little more time to decide, I think it’s right. It’s really up to the British, the British Parliament, the British Government, the British people to decide.”
Jüri Ratas, Estonian Prime Minister: “My opinion is that we must do all what we can to avoid no-deal and to have a Brexit with an agreement … if we could prolong the period and if it is giving a solution, then of course Estonia supports it.”
António Costa, Portuguese Prime Minister: “We need always to keep in mind that we need to manage this process with the goal to have with the United Kingdom a closest as possible future relationship. And, that’s why we should agree to an extension as long as necessary for the United Kingdom.”
Lars L?kke Rasmussen, Danish Prime Minister: “I’m open to discuss a ‘flextension’ to the end of the year, but … she didn’t ask for that … I’m willing to offer it personally. But, the big question is, is there any added value linked to a longer extension? And I think that’s what we have to find out during our consultation with Theresa May at the beginning of the meeting.”
European leaders are arriving about five minutes apart at the EU Council building in Brussels, and many are taking questions from reporters.
If watching world leaders smile awkwardly as they walk down a red carpet is your thing, the EU Council has organized a live stream.
Dalia Grybauskait?, the President of Lithuania, said she expects a Brexit delay to be granted at the meeting – but predicted that Theresa May will have to compromise on the length of the postponement.
“I am very flexible because it is not much sense to debate a concrete month. What we would like to see (is) to help accommodate (the) UK to have any kind of decision finally,” Grybauskait? added.
When May arrived earlier, she dodged questions about what she would do if forced to accept a lengthy extension, but in the past she has insisted: “As prime minister, I am not prepared to delay Brexit any further than the 30th of June.”
Leaders have started arriving at the European Council summit in Brussels. Theresa May was the first to walk the red carpet, briefly answering questions from reporters along the way.
May repeatedly suggested that any extension granted by the EU should be flexible, and allow the UK to leave earlier if it passes the Withdrawal Agreement.
She also batted back questions about what she will do if the EU imposes a longer delay.
“I’ve been clear that the UK’s request is for an extension to the 30th of June,” she said. “What matters is that we are able to leave the European Union at the point at which we ratify the Withrawal Agreement. That will enable us to leave on the 22nd of May,” she added, referencing the earlier extension date granted by the EU if May could pass her Brexit deal.
But the UK prime minister didn’t explain what her next steps would be if she is forced to accept a lengthy Brexit delay.
May also said her party’s Brexit talks with the opposition Labour party have been “serious” and “constructive,” and confirmed that those conversations will continue on Thursday.
Labour MEP Seb Dance is in limbo. His contract as a member of the European Parliament expires on April 12 – the date Britain is currently due to leave the European Union – meaning he can’t plan for anything beyond then.
As a result, he says he and his team have been blocked from booking travel and accommodation to attend a session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg next week, because under British and EU law, they will technically no longer be employed.
“It’s not great for blood pressure,” Dance told CNN. “I’m not going to pretend we’re having a great time with the uncertainty.”
He said he and his staff went through the same issues last time a Brexit date loomed, on March 29.
“We suspected the [European] Council would grant the extension because we knew of the request the week before, but we obviously had no guarantee – so it’s exactly the same this week,” he said.
Should May’s request for an extension be granted, it also?raises questions over Britain’s role in the upcoming elections to the European Parliament. But Dance says that even if elections do go ahead, if the UK leaves the EU on June 30, “new MEPs won’t even take their seats because the parliament doesn’t sit again until the 1st of July formally.”
“So you could have new MEPs being elected who don’t ever sit which is slightly tragic,” he said.
Read more about how Brexit is leaving British MEPs in limbo here.
Hours before a crucial EU summit to discuss the UK’s request to delay Brexit, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has told lawmakers that “we will discuss which sort of extension we will give to the UK – it could well be possible that this might be a longer period than the British Prime Minster is asking for.’’
Merkel explained that if MPs in Westminster agree a Brexit deal, the UK can then leave the bloc quickly.
Merkel added: “We will discuss tonight that we will give the UK more time and we also have our expectations.’’
Merkel said a longer extension to Brexit would be tied to the UK taking part in the European elections in May and would be contingent upon the UK’s willingness to participate constructively in EU matters until the point at which it exits the European Union.
The German Chancellor said she was glad Prime Minister Theresa May had visited her in Berlin on Tuesday, saying May had “assured us one more time of her firm intention to find a solution out of this difficult situation together with the opposition.”
Merkel went on to say that she would like to give both parties in the UK more time to arrange an orderly Brexit.
The struggling UK economy is getting a boost from Brexit stockpiling.
UK GDP grew 0.3% in the three months to the end of February, the Office for National Statistics said Wednesday. Economists polled by Reuters were expecting an expansion of 0.2%.
Economists said the faster pace of growth was partly due to manufacturing businesses stockpiling materials and parts that would be harder to acquire if Britain crashes out of the European Union.?
The Office for National Statistics said that it had seen evidence that manufacturers were engaged in stockpiling as the original Brexit deadline approached (the new deadline is Friday).
UK politicians have still not agreed a deal that would prevent a disorderly Brexit, which could lead to lengthy delays at the country’s borders.
Read more from CNN Business:
Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay said Wednesday that the UK government will hold more talks throughout the day with the opposition Labour party in an attempt to break the deadlock.
He said the talks “have been described as constructive by both sides” but also acknowledged “it’s difficult, it’s contrary to the normal tradition of British politics to be operating in this way; but the reality is we need to get a vote through parliament.”
“I think there has been much frustration within the EU at the fact that Parliament has not been able to come to any resolution, it has been against any option put to it,” Barclay told BBC Radio 4 Wednesday.
Regarding Wednesday’s EU summit in Brussels and discussions of a year-long extension, Barclay said “I don’t want to see a delay for up to a year. But the key with any delay is we’re able to terminate it once we ratify that agreement.”?
“There is a common desire across the Conservative party to get on with this. To actually get our exit through,” he added.
The European Commission’s chief spokesman Margaritis Schinas says the European Council emergency summit on Wednesday, at which the bloc will decide on the UK’s request to postpone Brexit again, is “the only game in town.”
“This is the moment. This is the day. This is the moment, of course, for the leaders of the 27 to decide on how they will reply to the letter of the Prime Minister by having listened to her,” he added.
The sheer weirdness of Brexit might be best described by the odd spectacle that will take place in Brussels on Wednesday evening.
The UK is the world’s fifth largest economy. It is a nuclear-armed state with a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council. It has a world-class services industry and a population of more than 60 million people.
Malta, by contrast, is the world’s 124th largest economy. It has, according to Eurostat, a population of under 500,000 people.
Yet at around 6:45 p.m. local time, Joseph Muscat, the Prime Minister of Malta, will have a greater say in the ultimate outcome of the UK’s future than Theresa May, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Because Muscat, unlike May, will have a seat at the dinner table along with other EU leaders where the future of Brexit will be thrashed out.
The UK’s inability to agree on a political level how it wishes to leave the EU has caused the Brexit deadline, March 29, to be missed once already. The fact that the House of Commons rejected May’s Brexit deal a third time on that very day has led to the unedifying events that will follow in Brussels a little later.?
Read more of Luke’s analysis here:
Conservative MP Henry Smith asks if Theresa May recognizes that a lengthy delay to the Brexit process and the UK’s departure from the European Union would come at a huge financial cost to British taxpayers. He wonders if the UK’s subscriptions to the EU would be better spent elsewhere.
May says she is “pressing the case for the extension that I wrote to Donald Tusk about last week and that was endorsed by Parliament last night.”
The PM says the UK would have been outside the EU by now – and could therefore have avoided paying further contributions to the bloc – if her deal had been passed by MPs.?
The weekly Prime Minister’s Questions session ended shortly afterwards.
Ian Blackford, the Scottish National Party’s leader in Westminster, says it has been a week since cross-party talks between the UK government and opposition Labour party began. He asks whether the notion of a second referendum has been floated from “the government side of the negotiating table” at any point.
May dodges the question saying the government’s position on a second referendum has not changed, and reminds Blackford that the House of Commons has twice rejected a motion calling for a second vote.
When pressed by Blackford, May notes MPs would be able to propose a second referendum by proposing amendments to any Brexit deal that results from cross-party discussions when it comes back to the House of Commons for approval.
Commentators note that May did not say that she would oppose it, were the issue to come to a vote in the future.
Theresa May has opened the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions session responding to a query over whether a no-deal Brexit would be best route forward.
The embattled leader said she did not agree, arguing that the best way to leave the European Union is with a deal.
The PM reiterated that she wants to honor the referendum result.?
UK Prime Minister Theresa May is making a move from Downing Street and headed to the Houses of Parliament for her weekly question and answer session of Prime Minister’s Questions at noon (7 a.m. ET).
As UK Prime Minister Theresa May prepares for a chaotic day in the Brexit process, CNN’s Isa Soares is taking a look at the front pages of newspapers in London.
The Daily Mail has a splash headline of “ANOTHER YEAR IN LIMBO!” in reference to European Council President Donald Tusk’s letter calling for a lengthier extension than May’s June 30 proposal.
While the Guardian has a more tempered lead with “May’s hopes dashed as EU targets longer Brexit delay.”
Embattled UK Prime Minister Theresa May is facing yet another crucial Brexit day.
Here’s a rundown of what to expect on Wednesday (times local to London):
12 p.m. GMT (7 a.m. ET) – May faces the fury of her own parliament during the weekly session of Prime Minister’s Questions. At the same time, Chancellor Angela Merkel will address Germany’s parliament.
3 to 4 p.m. GMT (10 to 11 a.m. ET) – European leaders are expected to start arriving in Brussels.
5 p.m. GMT (12 p.m. ET) – Emergency Brexit summit begins.
6.45 p.m. (1 p.m. ET) – ?European Parliament President Antonio?Tajani?to hold press conference.
9 p.m. GMT (4 p.m. ET) – Brexit press conference with European Council President?Donald Tusk?and European Commission President Jean-Claude?Juncker? expected.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has spoken to his UK counterpart ahead of the emergency Brexit summit in Brussels later Wednesday.
British Prime Minister Theresa May will face her fellow – for now – European Union leaders at a summit on Wednesday, with everyone around the table knowing she is running out of options on?Brexit.
May was supposed to have come up with a credible alternative Brexit plan that could be passed by her Parliament to present at the summit in Brussels, yet talks with the UK opposition Labour Party on that new deal have failed to bear fruit.
It’s likely, then, that the summit will be difficult, but not a disaster for May. And yet even if she squeaks through it unscathed, storm clouds are gathering back home.
Those talks with the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and his allies are not just about window dressing, but a serious attempt by both parties to reach a consensus on Brexit. But they are in danger of coming to nothing because both sides remain far apart on issues like a permanent customs union between the UK and EU after Brexit.
The talks are scheduled to resume Thursday, but there is a sense in Westminster that because both parties remain far apart on the fundamentals, the two sides are just going through the motions.
This sense is being picked up in Europe too, which is why EU leaders are pressing for a long delay to Brexit – of up to a year – because there is no quick deal in sight.
Read more of Jane’s analysis here:
Europe’s leaders are headed to Brussels on Wednesday for an emergency Brexit summit at which they will debate the possibility of another delay to the Brexit process.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May has asked for the cliff-edge date to be pushed back to June 30.
For their part, the remaining European members appear to be open to an extension, but some are concerned that the Westminster impasse will not be resolved by mid-summer.
In a letter to EU leaders on Tuesday, Donald Tusk said there was “little reason” to believe the UK can ratify a withdrawal deal by the end of June because of the “deep divisions in the House of Commons” and Britain’s track record in negotiations so far.?
In light of these prospects, Tusk will ask EU leaders to consider a “flextension.”
None of the EU leaders want to be responsible for pushing the UK off a cliff-edge and making the no-deal scenario a reality. But CNN’s Melissa Bell reports from Brussels that their overriding priority is to protect the bloc after the UK’s departure.
France wants to limit the UK’s influence in the EU in the interim, she says.
“Bear in mind that Macron came to power on a platform of being a champion of Europe and moving towards closer European integration,” Bell reports.
Yesterday an Elysee spokesman told reporters:
The spokesman added: “France being portrayed as a bad cop is not correct. We are looking for solutions but we need to stay firm.”
Talk about taking it down to the wire.
With just two days before the UK is due to crash out of the European Union with no deal, UK Prime Minister Theresa May will travel to Brussels on Wednesday to plead with European leaders for another Brexit extension.
May has formally requested a Brexit delay until June 30, but EU Council President Donald Tusk is expected to propose a longer extension of up to one year. For the second time in a matter of weeks, leaders could be in for a late night debating May’s appeal.
If approved by the EU27, the delay would reset the countdown clock and provide the UK with time to find a new way forward.
Expect another day of tense talks and frenzied speculation before the Brexit endgame potentially becomes clearer.
