Brexit: May to ask EU for short Article 50 extension

LONDON

With the U.K.’s first extended Brexit deadline just 10 days away, British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Tuesday that it needs an additional short extension from the EU.

In a statement after a seven-hour Cabinet meeting, May said that she understands some people are “fed up” and ready to leave the bloc on April 12 without a deal.

“I have always been clear that we could make a success of No Deal in the long-term,” May said.

“But leaving with a deal is the best solution.”

“So we will need a further extension of Article 50 – one that is as short as possible and which ends when we pass a deal,” she added, referring to the part of the EU treaty under which Britain is seeking to leave.

May underlined that “despite the best efforts of MPs, the process that the House of Commons has tried to lead has not come up with an answer.”

She added, referring to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn: “So today I am taking action to break the logjam: I am offering to sit down with the Leader of the Opposition and to try to a plan – that we would both stick to – to ensure that we leave the European Union and that we do so with a deal.

“Any plan would have to the current Withdrawal Agreement – it has already been negotiated with the 27 other members, and the EU has repeatedly said that it cannot and will not be reopened.”

May said “we need to focus on… our future relationship with the EU.

“The ideal outcome of this process would be to agree an approach on a Future Relationship that delivers on the result of the Referendum, that both the Leader of the Opposition and I could put to the House for approval, and which I could then take to next week’s European Council,” set for April 10.

The prime minister added that if “a single unified approach” cannot be reached, “then we would instead agree a number of options for the future relationship that we could put to the House in a series of votes to determine which course to pursue.”