Theresa May, the British Prime Minister, travels to Brussels on Thursday to meet with EU leaders at the European Council and discuss a short delay to Brexit, which is planned on March 29. But an agreement on a Brexit delay at this summit was highly unlikely
British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said on Thursday that the European Union could hold an emergency summit next week, to offer a Brexit extension with potentially onerous conditions such as holding another referendum. A similar proposal was made by EU Commission President Jean Claude Juncker.
Hunt added that the government did not yet know whether the exit deal would be brought back to parliament next week.
In a letter sent to the EU on Wednesday, the British PM sought an extension to Article 50 until June 30. On Wednesday night, addressing the British public from Downing Street, May said that she is “not prepared to delay Brexit any further than the 30th of June”.
But there is no guarantee that the EU will accept an extension. EU Council president Donald Tusk said that as a condition for an extension, the British parliament has to vote for the Withdrawal Agreement deal that May struck with the EU.
The outcome is highly uncertain with only eight days to go until the UK is due by law to leave the EU. The British parliament has twice rejected the withdrawal deal negotiated by London and Brussels, and approved by the other 27 EU governments.
British Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will also go to Brussels on Thursday to discuss an “alternative” Brexit plan with EU leaders. He is expected to meet the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, as well as the Secretary-General of the European Commission, Martin Selmayr, and to hold talks with several EU leaders including the Spanish PM, Pedro Sanchez.
Corbyn will express confidence that an alternative to May’s Brexit deal can be agreed in the UK parliament, the Labour Party said.
In a leaked memo, British government officials confirmed the UK is expected to fully start implementing its planning for a no-deal Brexit next Monday because no delay to the scheduled departure of March 29 will have been agreed in time.
