After weeks of holding out the prospect of reaching a cross-party Brexit deal in time to avoid the UK taking part in European elections, the British government has made a formal statement conceding that that was now impossible.
British Prime Minister Theresa May “deeply regrets that we haven’t left the EU on time, which was by 29 March, and that a consequence of that is that we will have to take part in the European elections,” her spokesman said. “She understands that many members of the public will feel great frustration at this.”
He said that the British parliament had had several opportunities to vote to leave the EU, “but sadly none of those votes have passed. We now wish to see the withdrawal agreement introduced, and ratified by parliament, as soon as possible — and ideally before MEPs [members of the European Parliament] take their seats.”
Asked whether May regretted the latest slippage of Brexit deadlines, the spokesman said that she had been committed to the March 29 departure date, but was twice unsuccessful when putting her agreement to the vote in the British House of Commons.
It is understood that Conservative Party Chairman Brandon Lewis is still deciding whether to hold a European elections launch for the party, with advocates and lawmakers reluctant to hit the doorsteps with no clear policy on Brexit.
Senior Conservative officials are debating how big a role May should play in the contest and how far she should go in attacking Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party, which is proving attractive to Conservative members.
A survey for the ConservativeHome Web site on Tuesday suggested that three in five Conservative members were planning to vote for the Brexit Party.
One Conservative MEP candidate told the Guardian that the need to campaign was beginning to hit home, as the potential of the Brexit Party became clear.
The Labour Party also faces challenges, after a five-hour wrangle over the precise wording of its manifesto on the circumstances in which it might support a second referendum.
The government’s announcement about the European elections, initially made by Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington, came just before cross-party Brexit talks with Labour were about to resume.
May’s spokesman said that last week’s local elections had given fresh impetus to the negotiations.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn on Friday said that the results were a message to politicians to “get a deal done.”
Government sources have suggested that if the talks fail to show clear progress soon, they are keen to shift to May’s plan B: holding a series of votes in parliament to find a deal that could command a majority.
Labour Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer said that it was “crunch time” as he entered the talks.
“The government has to decide whether it’s serious about significant changes capable of actually carrying a majority in the House of Commons. We’re going to be pressing them hard on that,” he said.
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