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A8 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 21 March 2019
UK’s May asks a wary EU to delay Brexit until June 30

By JILL LAWLESS could leave the country
LORNE COOK once again facing a no-
Associated Press deal Brexit this summer.
LONDON (AP) — Exactly They want to commit to a
1,000 days after Britain vot- close post-Brexit economic
ed to leave the European relationship with the bloc
Union, and nine days be- to ease disruption for busi-
fore it is scheduled to walk nesses and citizens.
out the door, Prime Minister Opposition Labour Party
Theresa May hit the pause lawmaker Angela Eagle
button Wednesday, asking said May should “stop
the bloc to postpone the banging her head against
U.K.’s departure until June the brick wall of her defeat-
30. ed deal” and seek cross-
EU leaders, who are exas- party support for a new
perated by Britain’s Brexit Brexit strategy.
melodrama, will only grant But a shift to “soft Brexit”
the extension if May can would infuriate the pro-
win the U.K. Parliament’s Brexit wing of May’s di-
approval next week for her vided party, and a long
twice-rejected Brexit deal. delay would require Britain
Otherwise, the U.K. is fac- to participate in May 23-26
ing a chaotic “no-deal” elections for the European
departure from the bloc Parliament.
within days, or a much lon- May said postponing Brexit
ger delay that May says beyond June would result
she will not allow while she in Parliament spending
is in power. “endless hours contemplat-
May, who has spent two ing its navel on Brexit.”
and a half years trying to Any delay that required
lead Britain out of the EU, Britain to take part in Euro-
said it was “a matter of pean parliamentary elec-
great personal regret” that tions would be a major
she had to seek a delay to headache for the bloc.
Brexit. Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May delivers a statement, at 10 Downing Street, in London, Britain’s seats already have
In a televised statement Wednesday, March 20, 2019. been allocated to other
from 10 Downing St., May Associated Press countries to fill in the May
said she shared the frus- lation needed for an order- Tusk made clear what oth- the speaker of the House election.
tration felt by many Britons ly departure from the EU. er EU leaders have long of Commons ruled that Britain believes it would not
who have “had enough” of “As prime minister I am not hinted: The EU is unwilling to she can’t ask Parliament have to participate if it got
endless Brexit debates and prepared to delay Brex- give Britain more time un- to vote on the deal again a three-month delay, be-
infighting — though she did it any further than June less the government can unless it is substantially cause the newly elected
not accept a role in caus- 30,” May told the House find a way out of the Brexit changed. European parliament is not
ing it. Instead, she blamed of Commons — a hint she impasse. May told Tusk that de- due to convene until July.
Parliament for the dead- could quit if Britain is forced German Foreign Minister spite the ruling “it remains Some EU officials take a dif-
lock, and warned that if to accept a longer pause. Heiko Maas said that “if the my intention to bring the ferent view and want any
lawmakers did not back Tusk said he thought a short (EU) Council is to decide on deal back to the House.” extension to end by May
her deal it would cause “ir- delay to Brexit “will be pos- extending the deadline for She’s likely to do that next 23, the first day of the Euro-
reparable damage to pub- sible, but it would be condi- Britain, then we would like week — within days or pean elections.
lic trust.” tional on a positive vote on to know: Why, why, why?” hours of Britain’s scheduled The Brexit-fueled political
“It is high time we made a the withdrawal agreement French Foreign Minister departure — by arguing chaos has drawn reactions
decision,” May said. in the House of Commons.” Jean-Yves Le Drian said a that circumstances have ranging from sympathy to
In a letter to European May’s request — and Tusk’s delay could only be grant- changed and the speak- scorn at home and around
Council President Donald response — leaves Britain ed if May guaranteed that er’s bar on a third vote no the world. On its front page
Tusk, May acknowledged and the bloc facing Brexit its purpose “is to finalize the longer applied. Wednesday, the Brexit-
that the Brexit process uncertainty right up to the ratification of the deal al- But she faces a struggle to backing Daily Mail news-
“clearly will not be com- deadline for departure. ready negotiated.” overturn the huge margins paper bemoaned the time
pleted before 29 March, Withdrawing without a deal EU leaders are united in of defeat for her deal in since the referendum as
2019” — the date fixed in could mean huge disrup- saying that the divorce previous votes in January “1,000 lost days.”
law two years ago for Brit- tions for businesses and U.K. deal it spent more than a and last week. Juncker said Britain’s Par-
ain’s departure. residents, as well as those in year and a half negotiating Tusk did not say whether liament needed to decide
May asked to delay Brit- the 27 remaining EU coun- with Britain can’t be rene- the EU would be willing to whether it would approve
ain’s withdrawal until June tries. gotiated. grant a long delay to Brexit the only deal that is on the
30, and said she would set “Even if the hope for a fi- But the deal has twice if Britain changed course table.
out her reasons to EU lead- nal success may seem frail, been rejected twice by and abandoned May’s “If that doesn’t happen,
ers at a summit in Brussels even illusory, and although hefty margins in Britain’s deal for a new approach. and if Great Britain does not
on Thursday. Brexit fatigue is increas- Parliament, amid opposi- British opposition politicians, leave at the end of March,
Her longshot plan is to hold ingly visible and justified, tion from pro-Brexit and and pro-EU members of then we are, I am sorry to
a third vote in Parliament we cannot give up seeking pro-EU lawmakers. May’s Conservative gov- say, in the hands of God,”
on her deal next week, until the very last moment a May had planned to try ernment, have urged a he said. “And I think even
then use the EU-granted positive solution,” Tusk said again this week to get the longer extension, saying a God sometimes reaches a
extension to pass the legis- in Brussels. agreement approved, until delay of just a few months limit to his patience.”q