EU looking for up to one year delay on Brexit
May's June 30 extension snubbed as Tusk tires of impasse
EU leaders were set on Wednesday to consider giving the UK a longer Brexit extension and take complete control of the departure process from beleaguered UK Prime Minister Theresa May.
May returned from meetings in Germany and France on Tuesday seeking support for an extension to June 30, but it became clear that Brussels had little faith in her ability to deliver a deal when a delay to March 2020 was put forward by EU Council President Donald Tusk.
EU leaders were scheduled to meet in Brussels later on Wednesday. Tusk urged his colleagues to consider his proposal for a longer delay and warned against May's request for a short extension to June 30 in a letter to them on Tuesday.
He said agreeing to May's request “would increase the risk of a rolling series of short extensions and emergency summits, creating new cliff-edge dates”.
“Our experience so far, as well as the deep divisions within the House of Commons, give us little reason to believe that the ratification process can be completed by the end of June.”
“The continued uncertainty would also be bad for our businesses and citizens. Finally, if we failed to agree on any next extension, there would be a risk of an accidental no-deal Brexit.”
“This is why I believe we should also discuss an alternative, longer extension. One possibility would be a flexible extension, which would last only as long as necessary and no longer than one year, as beyond that date we will need to decide unanimously on some key European projects.”
The scale of revolt within May's own Cabinet was evident on Tuesday night when four senior ministers along with more than 50% of Tory MPs refused to back the June 30 extension plan in a parliamentary vote.
May met with her German counterpart Angela Merkel on Tuesday morning before talks with French President Emmanuel Macron in the afternoon.
Merkel was reported to be supportive of an extension to Article 50 but Macron has said the UK would have to justify any delay with evidence of progress in parliament towards a deal.
In his letter, Tusk said his plan had "the flexibility would allow to terminate the extension automatically, as soon as both sides have ratified the Withdrawal Agreement".
"Furthermore, in the event of a continued stalemate, such a longer extension would allow the UK to rethink its Brexit strategy."
Tusk added that he expected the UK to "maintain its sincere cooperation also during this crucial period, in a manner that reflects its situation as a departing member state. Some observers saw this as a reference to Tory hard-right Brexiteers calling for the UK to disrupt EU business in retaliation for a continued membership.