Tusk offers Britain a conditional Brexit deadline extension till end of year

The chairman of European Union leaders Donald Tusk proposed on Tuesday to offer Britain an extension of the Brexit deadline by up to one year, with the option of leaving earlier, if only Britain ratifies the existing withdrawal agreement.

In a letter to EU leaders on the eve of a summit devoted to deciding on Britain’s exit from the bloc, Tusk said that granting such a long, but flexible extension would prevent the risk of a rolling series of short extensions and emergency summits and give Britain time to rethink its strategy.

But he also said there would have to be a number of conditions attached.

“No re-opening of the Withdrawal Agreement; no start of the negotiations on the future, except for the Political Declaration; the UK would have to maintain its sincere cooperation also during this crucial period, in a manner that reflects its situation as a departing member state,” the letter said.

“We should remember, however, that the United Kingdom will remain a member state with full rights and obligations,” he said.

Earlier, Barnier implored EU ministers meeting in Luxembourg to keep the pressure on MPs to back the deal by supporting May’s request for a Brexit delay only up until 30 June, a leaked diplomatic note of the debate reveals.

But, according to the note seen by the Guardian, there is instead growing support for the idea of a lengthy extension, with a Brexit delay of around nine months now looking likely, sources claimed.

POLITICO reports that EU leaders are set to offer the U.K. a further extension to the Brexit timetable, but the key final date is yet to be decided, according to draft conclusions of the European Council summit to be held on Wednesday evening.

The document, seen by POLITICO, states that the European Council will grant an extension of the Article 50 negotiating period to allow for “ratification of the Withdrawal Agreement.” But on the ultimate end date for the extension it says, “Such an extension should last only as long as necessary and, in any event, no longer than [XX.XX.XXXX1 ].”

The key date will be decided by leaders when they meet in Brussels Wednesday evening.

The document states that the U.K. is free to revoke its Article 50 notification “at any time” — an action that would halt the Brexit process.

The Independent reports that ministers from the 27 remaining countries met in Luxembourg on Tuesday morning to lay the groundwork for the leaders’ meeting in Brussels the next day. Discussions overran by an hour amid debate between the countries about the way to proceed.

“The prolongation of the Article 50 deadline is an instrument and not an objective in itself. The British side must outline a clear plan with credible political backing to justify the decision of the European Council in favour of the extension,” George Ciamba, the Romanian EU minister chairing the meeting said at a press conference afterwards.

MPs on Tuesday approved Prime Minister Theresa May’s plan to seek to delay Britain’s exit from the European Union to June 30th while she tries to reach a compromise with the opposition Labour Party to get her deal through Parliament, Reuters reports. MPs voted by 420 to 110 in favour of the government’s motion. The government was forced to hold the vote after parliament passed a law on Monday giving themselves power to scrutinise and make changes to May’s request to extend the Article 50 negotiating period a second time.

via The Independent, POLITICO, The Guardian and Reuters