EU considering offering Britain a mid-April to decide whether to exit the bloc on May 7th, with or without deal
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The Financial Times reports that EU leaders are preparing to give Britain a final deadline of mid-April to decide whether to hold European Parliament elections or exit the bloc on May 7, with or without a divorce deal with Brussels.
The report on the FT says that after intense debate at a summit in Brussels, leaders of the remaining 27 EU countries significantly revised draft summit conclusions to make a counter offer to Theresa May that would leave open the possibility of a much longer delay to Brexit than she originally sought.
The proposal under consideration, if agreed at the summit, effectively creates a political point of no return on April 11 where Britain would need to decide on whether to leave the bloc in May, regardless of whether a withdrawal treaty is ratified. – FT
By contrast, if Britain was prepared start preparations for taking part in the EU parliament elections — which will take place between May 23-26 — the UK would still be able to request a longer extension so there was time for a rethink of Brexit policy, a general election or referendum.
The report argues that this counter-offer goes against the May’s more narrow request for a short three-month delay to June 30, which was conditional on her Brexit deal being approved by the House of Commons next week. It aims to narrow the choice for Britain in coming weeks and pile pressure on both Labour and Tory MPs who have been holding out against an exit agreement.
EU officials had initially proposed draft conclusions that set May 22 as the end date for an extension, if MPs backed the Brexit deal in the coming days. The text divided the EU leaders at the summit, with Germany leading a camp of northern European member states who were reluctant to close off options when there was so much uncertainty in Westminster. Leaders were still debating the length of the extension and how explicitly to keep open the possibility of a long delay to Britain’s membership.
Meanwhile, Ministers at Britain’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are for the first time being given a daily situation report on potential food and water shortages across the UK as part of Whitehall’s preparations for a no-deal Brexit. The Ministry of Defence has also activated its crisis management centre at its nuclear bunker in Whitehall, which was previously used for overseeing events such as the London 2012 Olympics. Some 3,500 troops currently on standby will also move to increased readiness over the coming days.
As uncertainty continues over whether the EU and UK will agree an extension to the Article 50 process for leaving the bloc next week, no-deal arrangements are being put in place around the country.
