Live Updates
After an exhausting and dramatic day in Brussels, we’re wrapping up our live coverage.
We’ll be back tomorrow, when the Brexit drama will move back to London as Theresa May makes frantic pleas to lawmakers, in an attempt to push her deal over the line.
The final question to May came from a reporter with the German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle. He noted that May pinned the blame over the Brexit impasse on British lawmakers yesterday and asked if she took any blame herself – and would she have done anything differently in her negotiations with the EU?
This reporter is clearly not familiar with the famously stubborn British Prime Minister.
Predictably enough, May doesn’t give a direct answer.
“Throughout these negotiations, of course they’ve been tough … I believe any negotiation involves a degree of compromise,” she says. But she says she has reached a good deal with the EU.
“I believe we have got a good deal on the table,” she says, adding that the EU’s decision today provides “a very clear framework” for MPs to consider when they vote on her deal next week.
In short: No.
May is asked about the petition to revoke Article 50 –?the legal process by which the UK is leaving the EU – that has now amassed over 2 million signatures, and whether she accepts that the mood of the public may have shifted in three years.
She does not. “We didn’t say ‘tell us what you think and we’ll think about it,’” she says.
A Daily Mail reporter asks her bluntly if Brexit will ever happen. Her reply:
The unanswered question: Whether she will still be Prime Minister when it happens.
May explains the agreement on the Brexit delay to reporters. If Parliament once again fails to approve her overall Withdrawal Agreement next week, Britain would either leave the EU with no deal on April 12 “or put forward an alternative plan.”
If that alternative plan involved a further extension, it would mean taking part in elections to the European Parliament. She reiterated her opposition to that idea.
She plans to return to London on Friday and begin the process of persuading Members of Parliament to back her deal. “Tomorrow morning I will be returning to the UK and working hard” to push her deal over the line, May says.
She expressed a hint of contrition for the tone of her remarks in Downing Street yesterday, which came in for wide criticism.
British Prime Minister Theresa May is speaking now.
Donald Tusk once said there was a “special place in hell” for those who promoted Brexit “without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely.”
At the press conference in Brussels, he was asked whether hell should be extended to include British MPs, if they vote down May’s Brexit deal next week.
“Don’t go to hell,” Juncker adds.
And with that, the two Presidents leave the stage. Eyes are now on Theresa May’s news conference, which will start soon.
Juncker and Tusk took a few questions from reporters.
Asked how long a long delay would be, Juncker replied simply: “Until the end.”
There had been reports that May’s 90-minute presentation had not gone down well. But Tusk then said that the atmosphere of the talks “was much better than I expected, and better than for example in December – not only because of the weather but also because of the mood. But frankly speaking, our mood is not the most important thing here.”
Tusk acknowledged the gravity of the situation:
Juncker said the EU’s patience had been tested but had not run out. “The atmosphere was good and frankly we are yet to see what the limits of our patience are,” he said,
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said he hoped the House of Commons would approve the Withdrawal Agreement next week. “We are hopeful that the agreement will be adopted by the House of Commons,” Juncker says of the agreed Brexit deal. If it is, Brexit will be delayed until May 22.
However he said the EU was ready for all scenarios. “Ladies and gentlemen, whatever happens we are ready for every eventuality, including the absence of an agreement to Brexit, the so-called “no deal.”
“Emergency measures are in place and we are continuing to prepare” for the “difficulties a hard Brexit would create,” he adds.
“This has been a long haul but we’ve got to look forward now. The clock is ticking not only for Brexit but for other things too.”
Tusk lays out the two-part extension agreed earlier, and confirms Theresa May agreed to the plan when he met her after the meeting.
Here’s what Tusk said:
European Council President Donald Tusk and EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker are speaking now.
EU leaders have come up with a two-part plan designed to avoid Britain crashing out without a deal on March 29.
According to the final text of the deal, leaders agreed to delay the Brexit process until May 22, if Theresa May can secure approval to the Withdrawal Agreement in the UK Parliament next week.
If May’s deal fails, the UK’s membership of the EU will be extended unconditionally until April 12, by which point the EU Council “expects the United Kingdom to indicate a way forward”.
European Council President Donald Tusk says the heads of the 27 remaining EU nations have finally agreed on their response to Theresa May’s request for a Brexit extension. He’s now heading to meet Theresa May.
When diplomatic summits go on like this, with talks stretching into dinner and press conferences delayed, it’s a sure sign that participants are having trouble coming to agreement.
Usually, in advance of EU summits, officials hash out everything well in advance and leaders arrive ready to rubber stamp their conclusions. Not so this time.
But, after a marathon day of talks, it appears that EU leaders are inching towards a consensus. “The text is approaching stable,” one EU diplomat tells CNN.
Once EU leaders agree to a text, we’ll see European Council President Donald Tusk and EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker at a press conference, followed by a statement by British Prime Minister Theresa May.
For nearly three years, the EU has presented a united front on Brexit. But behind closed doors in tonight’s eleventh-hour talks, that unity is being tested as European leaders tussle over a series of different scenarios, an EU diplomat tells CNN.
The reality is dawning on leaders that Theresa May’s Brexit deal is highly unlikely to win a vote in parliament next week, the diplomat adds. So leaders are considering whether to set aside Donald Tusk’s proposal to make an extension conditional on that vote, and instead build into the delay a contingency plan for when – not if – May’s deal fails.
“Everybody has different views on how to proceed but the overall goal is to decide in the common interest of the EU,” the diplomat says. “This discussion shows how crucial this question is for the European Union as a whole.”
What that means: Theresa May’s 90-minute presentation to leaders was so disappointing that it appeared to push leaders towards the accepting that her third meaningful vote stands virtually no chance of success. That changed the complexion of the talks.
The British Ministry of Defence has put 3,500 troops on standby to “aid contingency plans” for a no-deal Brexit, a spokesman told CNN on Thursday.
The contingency plans are part of Operation Redfold, the British military’s crisis management operation in the event the UK crashes out of the EU without a deal. A spokesman also told CNN that Pindar, the UK’s military bunker based under the Ministry of Defence, became “operational” on Monday as part of the operation.?
Pindar is a defense crisis-management center used to plan for significant UK operations. In the past it was used to support preparations for the 2012 London Olympics.
In a statement sent to CNN, a Ministry of Defence spokesman said:
More than an hour after Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker were due to give a news conference, EU leaders are still locked in discussions. It’s looking like this could be a long night in Brussels.
It’s becoming clear that leaders have moved on from Tusk’s earlier suggestion of a specific extension, and are putting forward various different dates and proposals.
Crucially, EU leaders are discussing the possibility?of dropping the suggestion by Tusk that any extension be conditional on the UK Parliament approving May’s withdrawal deal.
It also seems that European elections in May ?– and the April 11 deadline for Britain to declare whether it is taking part in them – are a complicating factor in the talks.
Theresa May spoke for around 90 minutes during the meeting. But leaders were apparently unimpressed by her inability to present a clear strategy in the event her deal is defeated in parliament next week. She provided “no answers, no clarity, and no direction,” one diplomat told CNN.
This post has been updated.
Back in the United Kingdom, Theresa May is facing a furious backlash from lawmakers after she blamed them for delaying Brexit – with some saying they have received verbal and physical threats.
Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle says he was attacked by a man in his constituency. The MP, who was with a TV crew from CNN affiliate ITV News at the time, linked the assault to May’s claim that lawmakers were holding up Brexit.
“A man came up and started shouting at the TV crew and me. Saying MPs are the problems & we are traitors,” Russell-Moyle tweeted.
“A minority will fall for hate or division of May but attacks like this afternoon’s will not make me frit. Only by standing up & not pandering will we gain decency for our nation,” he added, before urging people to join Saturday’s march in London calling for a second referendum.
Anna Soubry, who quit the Conservative Party last month over Brexit, said that she had faced “very, very serious” death threats and is unable to travel home this weekend as a result, according to Britain’s Press Association.
Members of Parliament have been advised to take taxis home, over fears that they could be attacked by members of the public over the handling of Brexit.
Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker, the Presidents of the EU Council and the European Commission, will be holding a news conference soon.
That will be immediately followed by a news conference from Theresa May.
The EU will agree to extend the Brexit process until May 22, according to a leaked draft statement from an EU council meeting in Brussels. Prime Minister Theresa May had requested a delay until June 30.
The extension to the withdrawal process is also contingent upon UK Parliament passing May’s negotiated divorce deal, two EU diplomats have told CNN.?The statement is still in draft form.?
Dalia Grybauskait?, the Lithuanian President, has told CNN that EU leaders have agreed in principle to grant an extension to the Brexit process, but have not finalized the length of the extension.
Asked if leaders have reached a decision, Grybauskait?, who left the meeting room to talk to CNN, said: “Not yet, we are in the middle of discussions.” But she added:
She added that, as widely anticipated, the agreement will be conditional on the UK Parliament approving the withdrawal agreement. “Today we will give only (a) promise to extend, but the final date and decision will be confirmed only conditionally, if the UK parliament next week will vote for the deal which is agreed already,” Grybauskait? added.
“If not, we will be in trouble – all of us. And again next Thursday, highly likely, we’re meeting for extraordinary meeting.”
Grybauskait? said May 22 is a “more secure” date for the extension, because European elections begin after that date. But if Theresa May succeeds in passing her withdrawal agreement at the third attempt next week, “the discussion could be opened” for a technical extension until June 30, she said.
Two lawmakers who quit their parties over Brexit have held meetings with Theresa May’s de facto deputy David Lidington.
Chuka Umunna, who left the Labour Party, and Anna Soubry, who quit the Conservative Party, told Lidington of MPs’ “fury” over Theresa May’s comments last night, when she blamed lawmakers for failing to break the Brexit impasse.
“I think there has been an acknowledgement of the fury with which the tone, never mind the substance, of the Prime Minister’s remarks was greeted yesterday,” he added.
“In terms of a way forward, I think the impression that we’ve been given is that the government accepts that if there isn’t a consensus forming behind the Prime Minister’s deal they are going to have to look at some form of process where Parliament, the House of Commons, can reach a majority view,” he added.
The President of the European Parliament says he has requested that any Brexit extension is “brief” and “no later than April 18th.”?
Speaking in Brussels, Antonio Tajani said that is the ”last date possible for the UK to organize the European Parliament elections.”?
“Secondly, for the European Parliament an extension would only make sense if next week there was to be an agreement in the House of Commons on the Withdrawal Agreement,” he said, which is what EU leaders have previously stipulated.
European Parliament elections take place May 23-26.?
British Members of Parliament have been advised to take taxis home, over fears that they could be attacked by members of the public over the handling of Brexit.
In an email obtained by CNN, Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle wrote to lawmakers explaining that the Serjeant at Arms – who is responsible for security – had organized for black cabs to collect MPs from within the grounds of parliament in Westminster, central London.
The email – first reported by?PoliticsHome?– was sent late afternoon on Wednesday, after Prime Minister Theresa May?said she was seeking a three-month delay to Britain’s departure from the European Union and pinned blame for the impasse on MPs.
The deputy speaker suggested that lawmakers “take simple steps to improve our personal safety by traveling home from the House by taxi or with colleagues in the coming days.”
May said last night that “Parliament has done everything possible to avoid making a choice,” and claimed that she was on the public’s side, rather than parliament’s. Her remarks have been criticized by numerous lawmakers.
Hoyle warned that “tensions and emotions are running at an all-time high” which could lead to members of the British public too far while expressing their frustrations.
The European Parliament has published some of the measures the bloc will take if the United Kingdom crashes out of the European Union without a Brexit deal on March 29 – which, currently, is still the default scenario.
They cover various issues including aviation, fishing, pets and medical treatment.
On some of the areas, no special measures are in place. One is healthcare – the statement says UK citizens will no longer be able to secure temporary health insurance when abroad in another EU member state, and vice versa.
“Both EU nationals traveling to the UK and Brits visiting EU countries should check whether their insurance covers the costs of medical treatment abroad. If not, they should consider taking out private travel insurance,” the statement says.
“The EU has repeatedly stressed that it favors an orderly withdrawal of the UK from the Union,” the parliament’s statement said.
“These measures cannot replicate the advantages of being part of the EU. They are temporary, unilateral measures. Some will require UK’s reciprocity in order for them to come in force,” it added.
Britain’s Trade Unions Congress (TUC) and the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) have joined together to release a damning open letter, urging Prime Minister Theresa May to change her Brexit approach and prevent a no-deal outcome.
They urge May to rule out a no-deal Brexit. “Businesses and employees alike need to see their Government clearly acknowledge the reckless damage no deal would cause and recommit itself to avoiding this outcome,” they write.
The two heads also call for May to allow for more options to be put on the table, suggesting indicative votes in parliament as a way of doing so. “‘The current deal or no deal’ must not be the only choice,” they say.
The TUC represents around 5.6 million workers, while the CBI says it speaks for 190,000 businesses, employing 7 million people.
“We cannot overstate the gravity of this crisis for firms and working people. We request an urgent meeting with you to discuss our concerns and hear your response,” O’Grady and Fairbairn conclude.
More than 1 million people have signed an online petition urging parliament to revoke Article 50 and prevent Brexit.
The call went viral after Theresa May’s speech on Wednesday night, with the vast majority of signatures coming in less than 24 hours. The traffic has caused parliament’s official petitions site to crash repeatedly on Thursday.
Between 80,000 and 100,000 people have been simultaneously viewing the petition, with nearly 2,000 signatures being completed every minute, the website said.
Several lawmakers have also urged people to add their names to the petition.
“An issue as big and important as Brexit should not come down to petitions – that said, if you are frustrated that the PM is just not listening, you can sign here,” SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon wrote on Twitter – where #RevokeA50Now is the top trending topic in the UK.
Jean-Claude Juncker, the President of the European Commission, has suggested that an emergency EU summit could be called next week if British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal is defeated a third time.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Xavier Bettel, indicated that May’s request for a delay until June 30 was unlikely to find support among EU leaders today.
“The longest extension we can agree is before the European Elections.” he said.
Alastair Campbell, a pro-Remain campaigner and former spokesman for ex-British PM Tony Blair, has told CNN he believes parliament and European leaders will stop Britain from crashing out of the EU with no deal next week.
Asked if a no-deal Brexit becomes unavoidable if Theresa May’s meaningful vote fails for a third time next week, Campbell said: “I think that is what she would like people to think, and it is reckless.”
“I don’t believe the EU or British MPs will allow (no deal) to happen,” Campbell added. “If - when, I believe - she loses the vote then we are in the possibility of a longer extension.”
He added: “Our negotiating strategy was basically to say we can get everything we’ve got now and it won’t be any different. The Europeans have been extraordinarily restrained in the face of the nonsense they’ve had to face. But now we come into crunch time.”
Here in Brussels, outside of the European Council building where EU leaders are meeting, all the talk is about what happens when – not if – Theresa May loses the third vote on her withdrawal agreement next week.
But you won’t hear any of that in public when, as expected, the EU grants Theresa May a short extension to the Brexit process later today. That’s because the EU cannot be seen to be interfering in the internal politics of nation – especially one about to leave the Union.
The EU could, of course, suggest a longer extension. But that would almost certainly mean the UK taking part in elections to the European Parliament, something neither side wants. And a longer extension would only be offered on the proviso that the UK is able to present a credible alternative plan to May’s.
Considering the current deadlock in Westminster, the only way out of this seems something drastic: A change of leadership, a change of government, a second referendum. But the optics of the EU even suggesting that could be toxic.
Rumors are swirling that certain Members of Parliament – some of whom are not members of the leadership of either main party – could be invited to Brussels for crunch talks with EU negotiators the day after the vote, should it fail.
But the optics of this would have to be managed carefully – the EU seizing control over Brexit from a sitting Prime Minister and handing it to lawmakers is not a great look, either.
So, while everything that is said and done at this summit is important, the expectation here is that the fallout from it could be a descent into the next circle of Brexit hell.
EU Council President Donald Tusk has tweeted a picture of him meeting with Theresa May in Brussels.
A third defeat for Theresa May’s Brexit divorce deal in British Parliament next week would send the country hurtling towards a no-deal exit, French President Emmanuel Macron has warned.
This is what Macron told reporters as he arrived at the EU summit in Brussels.
The EU might agree to a “technical extension” of Article 50 if UK parliamentarians approve Theresa May’s Brexit deal, he added.
“We can agree if it’s a technical extension in case of a yes vote on the agreement we negotiated over two years,” Macron said, but added that there would be no extension to the withdrawal process if there is no?clear majority in the UK parliament for the deal.
Macron acknowledged that it would be disrespectful to ignore the fact that the British people voted for Brexit three years ago.?
There’s frustration and exasperation in Brussels, an EU diplomat tells CNN, with ambassadors holding little hope that a third meaningful vote on Theresa May’s Brexit deal will pass parliament next week.
The general view among EU ambassadors, who met on Wednesday evening, leans towards some kind of conditional, short extension. There’s no unanimous view on how long that extension would be, but things on the European side – as we reported earlier –?appear to be more or less coalescing around May 22, the day before European elections are due to begin. Some member states have signaled that they’d be open to a longer extension, the diplomat adds.
Nonetheless, European leaders want to see what Theresa May is going to say at today’s summit. They’d like to hear a strategy or how she’s going to get this vote through.
The diplomat questions whether May is in control and points to yesterday’s formal request for a delay by the UK as an example.
This is what the diplomat said:
Leaders will likely spend some time at this EU summit discussing what happens if May fails to get her deal through parliament a third time next week. But don’t expect a decision on what the EU will do in that scenario. The diplomat notes that it’s a decision that can only be made once the circumstances are known.?
It’s clear the EU doesn’t want to be seen as the facilitator of a hard Brexit, fearing chaos in Britain and Ireland and a negative economic impact on other member states. It’s easy to see why an extension is preferred, the diplomat noted.
A no-deal Brexit would be “catastrophic” for Britain’s economy, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte warned as he arrived at the EU summit in Brussels.
But the UK Parliament must make the first move to break the Brexit impasse and secure an extension, Rutte told reporters.
“Now the ball has to be in the court of the British Parliament, they first have to say yes” to May’s Withdrawal Agreement, Rutte said. “If the British Parliament might say yes, lock stock and barrel to everything on the table, then Europe understands that technically you need time to implement everything in laws and other legal stuff.”
“If they say no again, I’m not going to speculate,” Rutte added.
Theresa May has arrived in Brussels for the crucial summit of European leaders, where she will make the case for her requested extension until June 30.
She refused to rule out taking Britain out of the European Union without a deal in eight days’ time, but continued to pressure MPs into supporting her Withdrawal Agreement next week.
Here’s what she told reporters about Brexit:
A fiery exchange has just taken place back in the House of Commons, where several lawmakers criticized Theresa May for pinning the blame over the chaotic Brexit situation on MPs in a speech last night.
It prompted Speaker John Bercow to make a passionate intervention defending MPs.
He went on: “From the Chair, let me say that I believe passionately in the institution of parliament, in the rights of members of this House, and in their commitment to their duty,” he said. “The sole duty of every member of parliament is to do what he or she thinks is right.”
May had attacked MPs for refusing to support her Brexit deal yesterday, saying “Parliament has done everything possible to avoid making a choice.”
Labour MP Jon Cryer then rose to heap further criticism on May, who said last night that “Parliament has done everything possible to avoid making a choice.”
MPs have a principle “to observe your own conscience and your own judgment,” Cryer said. “Those principles were seriously undermined last night by the Prime Minister in one of the most contemptuous statements that I’ve ever heard.”
A testy back-and-forth then followed when Leader of the House and member of May’s Cabinet, Andrea Leadsom rose to respond to Cryer’s comments. Bercow called a point of order, telling Conservative backbenchers to “grow up.” He added: “For goodness sake, this is not a matter of party political hackery. Let’s have some seriousness of purpose and mutual respect … for goodness sake, let’s raise the level.”
“Mr. Speaker, may I just say that your response does not raise the level, but I’ll leave it there,” Leadsom shot back – to which Bercow told Leadsom to sit down. He couldn’t “for the life of me” see what was controversial about his remarks, he said.
The exchanges reflect the tense mood among lawmakers today, many of whom have admonished the Prime Minister for slinging blame over Brexit towards the Commons.
“Pitting Parliament against the people in the current environment is dangerous and reckless,” Labour’s Lisa Nandy said on Twitter.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has suggested that another EU council meeting could be convened before Britain’s departure from the union if Prime Minister Theresa May loses a third vote on her Brexit withdrawal agreement next week.
Any new meeting would likely take place on Thursday, a day before Britain’s exit date on March 29.
Speaking about May’s requested Brexit extension, Merkel told German parliament that European leaders would “comply in principle” around a short delay “if we receive a positive vote by the British Parliament to the withdrawal agreement.”
Merkel’s remarks echoed EU Council President Donald Tusk’s comments from yesterday.
The Chancellor also noted that Europe “must have the EU election in May,” and that it could pose a problem for May’s desire to extend Brexit until the end of June. “But we can certainly talk positively about a short extension,” she said.
“There is no easy solution.?But if you want an orderly solution, in the remaining days, we must put all our strength together to make this possible.”
Theresa May and Angela Merkel have agreed to hold a second Brexit referendum.
Or at least, that’s how it might appear at first glance. In reality, two protesters have donned masks depicting the two leaders in a small protest outside the European Commission building, calling on their counterparts inside to “Make Love, Not Brexit” when they meet as part of today’s EU summit.
“For me it’s important to be here today because I’m French, I live in Belgium, and Europe means something to me and we shouldn’t break it up,” Veronique Guichard told CNN from the protest.
“We won’t better the situation if we do that. We need to vote in the European elections. We need to try to find leaders who represent us. And no more Brexit mess! We need to be informed of the consequences. Those who voted Brexit were not well informed,” she adds.
The activists are calling for a People’s Vote, or second Brexit referendum, which would give British voters the chance to reverse the decision taken in the 2016 poll.
All the signs are that Theresa May will get her Brexit delay – but only until May 22, dashing the Prime Minister’s hopes of a three-month extension.
This shorter delay is to ensure the UK leaves the bloc before European elections begin on May 23. (The UK believed it could stay in the EU until June 30 without taking part in the elections, as the new term of the European Parliament doesn’t begin until July 1, but it seems that Brussels doesn’t agree with this interpretation of the rules.)
EU ambassadors met in Brussels yesterday evening to discuss the British request for a delay beyond the March 29 deadline, and a source said that while diplomats were minded in principle to grant the extension, opinion coalesced around the earlier date.
May “will get documents and [a] short extension until [European] elections,” but only if she’s able to get the UK parliament to approve her twice-rejected deal, an EU diplomat told CNN.
It seems that EU capitals are falling in line behind European Council President Donald Tusk, who said earlier yesterday in Brussels that a short extension “should be possible,” but on the condition that the UK parliament passes May’s deal.
Nothing is certain. The situation remains fluid and the final decision will come down to EU leaders later today, after they have heard from May.
Diplomats are not yet making plans for a third defeat in the House of Commons. “No planning for the loss just yet,” the source added. “We will cross that bridge when we get there.”
A petition calling for the UK to revoke Article 50 – the legal process for Britain to leave the European Union, which was posted on Wednesday night, crashed earlier this morning after thousands tried to sign it.
The UK government’s petition site said it was “down for maintenance” and to “please try again later.”
It’s back up and running now, and has racked up nearly 700,000 signatures at the time of writing this post.
Parliament must consider all petitions that receive more than 100,000 signatures for debate.
Tom Forth, who heads up data at the Open Data Institute in Leeds said the signatures were “extremely concentrated in just a few places” in the UK. Adding there was “a very strong correlation with places that voted Remain.”
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt also told BBC Radio 4’s Today program that he wasn’t sure if Theresa May’s deal would be presented at Parliament next week.
He said if the issue couldn’t be resolved, three things could happen next week.
“The choice we have now is one of resolving this issue, or extreme unpredictability,” Hunt said.
UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has given his backing to Theresa May, saying “no prime minister in living memory has been tested” the way she has.
“Let’s not forget the extraordinary pressure that she is personally under, and I think she does feel a sense of frustration,” Hunt told the BBC. “She is absolutely determined to deliver what people voted for.”
The Foreign Secretary said he thinks Brexit has “sapped” the UK’s confidence, adding that “we need to remember now what we’re capable of as a country.”
As it currently stands, Britain is due to leave the EU in just eight days. Here’s the summary of some key dates until then.
Thursday, March 21:?May heads to Brussels for a two-day summit with European leaders, where she will make her case for them to grant an extension to the Brexit process until June 30.
Saturday, March 23:?The Prime Minister will return to Westminster to persuade MPs to back her deal. She needs to persuade 75 to flip in order for it to pass.
Monday, March 25:?The government must table an amendable motion in the House of Commons in response to its second meaningful vote loss last week. MPs will then have the opportunity to press for votes on alternative Brexit options.
May is also expected to call a third meaningful vote on her Brexit deal next week.
Thursday, March 28:?An 11th-hour emergency EU summit could take place on Thursday if May’s deal is defeated for a third time and no other agreement has been reached.
Friday, March 29:?Britain is still set to leave the European Union at 11 p.m. local time. If May cannot secure an extension, or a deal, it means that the country will crash out of the bloc, an event that could have catastrophic economic consequences.
Theresa May’s attendance at the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday was supposed to be the final appearance of a British Prime Minister in the European club before Brexit took place next week.
But after months of wrangling with lawmakers, resulting in a failure to get her deal approved by parliament, May will instead ask her fellow EU leaders for three more months to get Brexit completed.
May’s decision to create a dividing line between the people and parliament – at a time when lawmakers have faced death threats and abuse over Brexit – enraged politicians on all sides last night, and justifiably so. From someone whose authority is already weakened by her failure to seal the Brexit deal, these comments could be her undoing.
The widespread outrage shows how, once again, May’s political tactics have backfired.
As EU leaders now try to wrest control of Brexit back from the UK, the simple truth is that no organization or person is able to take control of the process, and a boat being rowed in three different directions isn’t likely to go anywhere and might capsize.
UK lawmakers are furious after Prime Minister Theresa May blamed them for delaying Britain’s exit from the European Union in a stern televised address on Wednesday night.
May ducked responsibility for the recent Brexit chaos, and instead gave a stark warning to MPs, telling them it was “high time” they made a decision on her deal.
“Parliament has done everything possible to avoid making a choice,” she said in her statement to the nation. “All MPs have been willing to say is what they do not want.”
The Prime Minister told the British public “I am on your side,” and that the “delay is a matter of great personal regret.”
Needless to say, British lawmakers were enraged after May’s address.
May finally bowed to the inevitable consequence of her failure to secure the support of parliament for the deal and asked the EU to extend the divorce process.
She’ll travel to Brussels on Thursday and beg EU leaders for a delay. Then she hopes to carry out another vote on her twice-defeated deal in the House of Commons next week.
The Prime Minister’s address dominated the front pages of newspapers in Britain on Thursday morning.
The Daily Telegraph splashed with “May on bended knee” to the EU, while The Guardian focused on May’s blame game: “Don’t blame me for Brexit crisis, blame MPs.”
The Daily Mirror calls May’s address to the nation a “deluded defiance,” and describes her as “arrogant” for not taking any responsibility for her “Brexit shambles.”
The Sun has photoshopped Theresa May’s head onto a character from a British sitcom who played a deluded anarchist. On its front page, it depicts May as raising her fist with the headline “Power to the people.”
In its leader column, the paper reiterates that May was the only one with a deal on the table.
“The Sun will not pretend her deal is great. It is just the only one available,” it said. “It gets Brexit done, as promised. And it does have merit for Leavers, whatever Tory backbenchers protest.”
The Times follows a similar tone, with May’s comments leading its front page. It suggested that May had tried to turn voters’ anger at MPs.
In its leading article, The Times wrote:
Meanwhile, the Financial Times focused on May’s desperate pleas on its front page, and reported frustrations by EU leaders as Brexit talks near the final hours.
“This is a circus that is beyond comprehension,” said one senior EU diplomat working on Brexit. Another senior Brussels figure involved in talks likened it to “dealing with a failed state.”
