After seeing the shambolic lack of agreement on Brexit in parliament, worried EU figures have started discussing allowing Brexit to be put back until 2020 to let Britain make its mind up.
European Union officials had discussed delaying Brexit by three months until this summer, but concerned that this time frame will not be long enough for Britain to sort out its political differences on withdrawal from the EU, there are high-level discussions on extending the time frame now with the EU dismayed at the mess.
German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier told the BBC’s Radio 4 Today programme: “The European Union should allow for additional time in order to achieve a clear position by the British parliament and people.”
The Times reports EU and Brussels sources confirming that EU officials have started drafting a framework for Britain to stay in the EU while the current parliamentary stalemate is sorted out until way past the new European Parliament is elected and sits at the start of this July.
The paper reports it has seen EU legal advice on British MEPs being able to carry on sitting temporarily in the new EU parliament without Britain having to participate in the European elections this summer.
“We are ten weeks away from Brexit and the risk ofa no deal has never seemed so high,” warned EU negotiator Michel Barnier. He told MEPs that the British government had hit an impasse on Brexit.
On Monday night, the House of Lords voted overwhelmingly for a motion urging MPs not to vote for Theresa May’s flawed EU withdrawal deal and not to allow a devastating no deal Brexit to occur.
On Tuesday night Theresa May lost a meaningful House of Commons vote on her withdrawal deal by a historically huge margin of 230, showing the strength of objections to a deal seen as the worst of all worlds.
And on Wednesday night, after having survived a confidence vote by her own party, May avoided a no confidence vote in her government leading to another election only with the support of the hardline DUP party voting with her rather than against.
Unfortunately, the DUP and hardline Tory Brexiteers of the ERG refuse to vote with the government on their withdrawal plans.
Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn branded her government a “zombie government,” and called on the PM to withdraw the threat to the country of a no deal Brexit before he would discuss a way forward with her.
Other party leaders echoed his call, but met the PM after she survived Wednesday night’s confidence vote.
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