British Prime Minister Theresa May acknowledged that her government’s strategies to get her Brexit deal approved in Parliament failed, on Saturday saying that there was little prospect lawmakers would back the thrice-rejected divorce agreement “in the near future.”
With the UK once again days away from a deadline for leaving the EU, May pressured opposition lawmakers to help her find a compromise agreement instead, saying voters “expect their politicians to work together when the national interest demands it.”
After May’s deal with the EU failed for a third time in the House of Commons, the prime minister invited the opposition Labour Party last week to discuss alternatives.
Photo: Reuters
However, three days of talks ended with no agreement and Labour accused May’s Conservative government of not offering real change.
“I haven’t noticed any great change in the government’s position so far,” Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said on Saturday. “I’m waiting to see the red lines move.”
Britain is due to leave the EU on Friday unless May can secure another delay from the EU, which already agreed to postpone the Brexit day originally set for March 29.
May now is asking for Britain’s departure to be pushed back until June 30, hoping to reach a compromise with Labour and get a deal through parliament in a matter of weeks.
“The longer this takes, the greater the risk of the UK never leaving at all,” May said in a statement.
However, EU leaders favor a longer delay to avoid another round of cliff-edge preparations and politics. They say the UK needs to put forward a concrete plan to end the stalemate to get any further postponement.
An extension requires unanimous approval from the leaders of the 27 remaining EU members.
The leaders of EU member countries are due to meet in Brussels on Wednesday to consider Britain’s request for a second extension.
Economists and business leaders have warned that a no-deal Brexit would severely disrupt trade and travel and lead to gridlocked British ports.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar on Saturday said that it was “extremely unlikely” any of the 27 countries would veto a delay.
“If one country was to veto an extension and, as a result, impose hardship on us, real problems for the Dutch and Belgians and French as neighboring countries [to the UK] ... they wouldn’t be forgiven for it,” he told Ireland’s RTE radio.
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