5 Apr 2019; DW: British Prime Minister Theresa May has asked the European Union to extend the UK's divorce date from the bloc until June 30, according to a letter to European Council President Donald Tusk that was sent on Friday.
May has already secured one Brexit delay — currently slated for April 12 — to buy time to gain support for her Withdrawal Agreement, which British lawmakers have now rejected three times.
What May wrote in her letter to the EU:
- Asking to push back the extension until June 30.
- The Brexit delay could end earlier if the House of Commons agrees her Brexit deal before that date.
- The UK will prepare to hold European Parliament elections if it is not able to exit the bloc before May 23.
- "The government agrees that leaving with a deal is the best outcome."
EU reportedly mulling longer delay
The news of May's request on Friday followed reports that Tusk was considering proposing a much longer and flexible 12-month Brexit extension. Senior officials said that the longer delay would allow the UK to leave on July 1 if Parliament ratifies the Brexit deal by then.
Any additional extension would require unanimous approval from the leaders of the remaining 27 EU member states. Sources close to French President Emmanuel Macron said that he is reluctant to give the UK more time if there is no clear plan in place.
EU leaders hoped for a resolution by mid-April so that the upcoming European Parliament elections, which are due to take place from May 23-26, would not be jeopardized.
In talks with Labour
May has been holding talks with Jeremy Corbyn, the head of the opposition, in an attempt to find a compromise deal for leaving the EU and break the Brexit deadlock. It's unclear, however, if the two sides will be able to work out an agreement in the coming days.
May's Brexit divorce deal, which was agreed with the EU after over two years of negotiations, has been rejected by British lawmakers three times, leading to the current political impasse. After receiving considerable pushback from within her own party over the deal, she reached out to opposition lawmakers in order to garner enough votes to pass it in a fourth vote.
Where Brexit stands right now
The UK was originally supposed to leave the bloc on March 29, but concerns that the UK could crash out without a deal prompted EU leaders to extend the divorce date until April 12. If British lawmakers do not approve the Brexit deal by next Thursday, they face either requesting a longer extension or crashing out without a deal.
On Wednesday, British lawmakers voted to reject leaving without a deal on April 12 — prompting May to ask for a longer delay. In recent votes, lawmakers also rejected all alternative Brexit options in a series of so-called "indicative votes."
What happens next: EU leaders are due to meet for a summit in Brussels on Wednesday where they will discuss whether or not to grant May's extension or to perhaps offer the UK a longer one.
