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Brexit live: May requests Brexit extension to June 30


May to seek opposition support

Theresa May is scheduled to meet Jeremy Corbyn and other opposition leaders at Westminster in Downing St at 6pm, writes the FT’s George Parker.

The talks will focus on the delay to Brexit, according to his sources, as she seeks to build support. Mrs May has also been invited to address Tory MPs on Wednesday evening but her attendance has not been confirmed.

Allies of Mrs May have downplayed speculation that the prime minister could address the nation from the steps of Downing St on Wednesday evening.

Tusk: Short extension ‘possible’ but ‘conditional’

Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, has just given a very short statement in Brussels, responding to Theresa May’s letter from earlier today asking for an extension of the Article 50 process.

He said a short extension was “possible” but “conditional” on a positive vote on the Withdrawal Agreement in the UK parliament.

He said the UK’s request for a new exit date of June 30 “has its merits” but presents “a series of questions”. EU leaders will debate the issue tomorrow.

He ends by saying that hope seems “frail”, but that: “We cannot seeking until the very last moment a positive solution.”

Tusk talks

Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, has arrived for his press conference

A bit more from Paris

We had some comments from French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian earlier (2.59pm). Now we have a bit more. This comes from the FT’s Victor Mallet.

Mr Le Drian said France would be open to a “technical” extension of a few weeks to allow British institutions to finalise formal ratification of the UK-EU withdrawal agreement.

But without a vote in the House of Commons to approve the deal, “the central scenario is a no-deal exit – we are ready for it”, he said.

France would pay particular attention to the interests of the EU in agreeing any extension, Mr Le Drian said, which would need three things:

“First, that the extension has the aim of finalising the ratification of the withdrawal agreement; second, that the UK is very clear that the withdrawal agreement fixed in November last year will not be renegotiated, and that its integrity will be preserved; and third, that the UK does not take part in the forthcoming European elections.”

Opposition leaders invited to see May

The BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg reports that opposition leaders have been invited to see Theresa May later today.

They had been invited earlier to meet David Liddington, Mrs May’s deputy, but those meetings have been cancelled, she says.

EmoticonEmergency Brexit debate

The request by Keir Starmer, Labour’s shadow Brexit secretary, for an emergency SO24 debate into the length and purpose of the extension of the Article 50 process requested by the government has been accepted by the Speaker.

It will last up to three hours, according to the Labour whips office

https://twitter.com/labourwhips/status/1108384854356492288

Paris to block extension without plan

France on Wednesday took a hard line on UK prime minister Theresa May’s request for a short extension to the Brexit process, writes the FT’s Victor Mallet, saying the other 27 members of the EU would not agree to an extension unless the UK parliament agreed the existing deal or there was a guarantee that it would do so.

Jean-Yves Le Drian, foreign minister, told members of the French National Assembly on Wednesday that France would oppose a Brexit delay without a credible plan from the UK.

A situation in which Mrs May would not be able to present to the European Council sufficient guarantees on the credibility of the strategy would then lead to the rejection of the extension demand and the choice of a no-deal exit

So… what happens next?

The FT’s George Parker has been trying to read the tea leaves over in Westminster. Here’s his latest update on what MIGHT happen next…

First, May travels to Brussels on Thursday to discuss her application for a short extension. The view in Number 10, as in Brussels, is that this may not be confirmed until a second European Council towards the end of next week.

Next Monday MPs will discuss an amendable government motion on what happens next: this will be the moment when MPs can grab the parliamentary agenda and set out a process for indicative votes to test Commons support for other forms of Brexit. Those votes could happen next week.

On Tuesday or Wednesday Mrs May then intends to hold the third “meaningful vote” on her deal in the hope that MPs will finally agree her plan – a long shot admittedly – before the emergency European Council meeting.

The hope in Downing Street is that Eurosceptic MPs will back her deal rather than risk the possibility of a Labour-backed soft Brexit plan emerging at Westminster, possibly facilitated by the EU giving more time for a cross-party group of MPs to develop an alternative strategy.

And somewhere in the middle of this the government would have to table the statutory instruments in the House of Commons and House of Lords to change Brexit day so that Britain doesn’t crash out on March 29. Assuming the EU has agreed an extension.

May’s Article 50 extension letter – annotated

The FT’s Henry Mance has dissected the letter sent by Theresa May to Donald Tusk:

Labour: no extended Brexit delay needed

The Labour spokesman has made it clear that the party will not push for a longer extension to Article 50, writes the FT’s Jim Pickard.

Speaking to journalists after PMQs, the spokesman said Jeremy Corbyn believed that cross-party talks could coalesce either around a customs union or a “Common Market 2.0” (basically a Norway-type arrangement involving single market membership) in the next few months.

Neither would require changes to the withdrawal agreement, he pointed out, only to the more forward-looking political declaration.

Despair from UK manufacturers

Make UK, the British manufacturing industry group, has released a statement.

‘We are moving from farce to tragedy.’

‘The only thing likely to worsen the current picture is leaving the EU without a deal, which would be catastrophic for the manufacturing sector which is so dependent on frictionless trade, common standards and regulation.’

‘As a result, we conditionally support the Prime Minister’s decision to seek a short extension to Article 50. We do so on the express condition that the Government and Parliament use this time to relentlessly pursue a clear outcome that protects our trading relationship and provides certainty as quickly as possible. Delay for delays sake will simply make an appalling situation worse.’

May’s approach gets a thumbs down from German MP

Norbert Röttgen, head of the Bundestag’s foreign affairs committee, sounds deeply unimpressed by Theresa May’s latest efforts to secure her Brexit deal.

May just asked EU for short Brexit extension. But without backing by cabinet and parliament her request is meaningless. @JunckerEU is right: EU leaders should defer decision until UK presents an approved plan. EU cannot become accomplice of May’s internal tactical manoeuvres.

Is the clock ticking down on May’s premiership?

Will Theresa May still be prime minister by the summer? For the first time, she has outlined the circumstances in which she would tender her resignation, writes the FT’s Seb Payne.

At PMQs today Mrs May repeatedly said “as prime minister, I could not consider a delay beyond 30th June” – whether that is imposed on her by the House of Commons or EU negotiators. That could point to a general election, but it is more likely to mean a change of leader.

A red line has been drawn: either Brexit happens sometime before the end of June or someone else will have to clear up this mess. This is a significant moment: Mrs May’s position was technically secure until December, when party rules would allow backbench MPs to challenge her again for the leadership.

But Mrs May has concluded that she does not have the will, or political capital, to survive kicking Brexit into the long grass.

Conservative MPs this morning are increasingly agitated about Mrs May’s lack of leadership and inability to shape events. Increasingly it has been opposing wings of the cabinet who are shaping the main Brexit decisions. But on the issue of whether to push for a short or long extension, it seems the prime minister has made her own call.

This will be a disappointment for some in government. Number 10 has long been focused on holding the government together until May 28, known as “Gordon Brown Day” where Mrs May’s time in office will overtake the last Labour prime minister. If she survives till then, her standing in the history books will rise ever so slightly.

Ever since she entered Downing Street in the summer of 2016, Mrs May has said it is the government’s duty to deliver on the will of the referendum and ensure the UK leaves the EU. That mission may be unchanged, but she may no longer be the person to see it through.

Could Brussels force a long extension?

Laura Hughes, one of our Westminster team, brings us this interesting little snippet:

“This is the move that ensures she stays in No 10”, said one government official. “It will not work as a strategy for getting the deal through.”

“This is not what parliament voted for last week. So many of the rebel hold outs are now holding out because they want No Deal, but it’s not available. It never really has been.”

“Tactic is clearly to wait for the EU to force a long delay on us.”

However, the noises from Brussels are highly sceptical that this is even possible, let alone desirable.

1pm update: EU and UK head for Brexit showdown

– Theresa May has formally requested an extension to the Brexit process until June 30

– The UK prime minister ruled out a longer delay, hinting that she would resign if it was forced upon her

– The EU indicated almost immediately that it is strongly opposed to any extension beyond May 23

– Jean-Claude Juncker, European Commission president, said a decision is unlikely to come until next week

– In a tempestuous PMQs, a number of MPs called on May to hold indicative votes, but were rebuffed

– The pound has fallen around 0.7 per cent today against the US dollar

Pound hit by latest Brexit twist


The fall in Britain’s currency accelerated on Wednesday afternoon after a leaked paper indicated Brussels would strongly oppose an extension in the Brexit date to the end of June, report the FT’s Michael Hunter and Adam Samson.

Sterling is down 0.7 per cent on the US dollar at $1.3168, and off 0.8 per cent against the common currency at €1.159.

News of the leaked paper came just as UK prime minister Theresa May sent a note to the EU asking for an extension until June 30. The European Commission said EU leaders would face a choice between a short delay, to May 23, or a more extensive one at least the end of 2019 to offer Britain time to reconsider its plans.

The lingering uncertainty about the length of the delay to Brexit also drew investors into the relative safety of UK government debt, pushing down the yield on benchmark 10-year gilts to its lowest since mid-March, down by almost 3 basis points to 1.159 per cent.

The 20-year gilt yield touched its lowest level since June 2017, down almost 4 basis points to 1.573 per cent, as investors bought into longer-term debt.

PMQs offers clear window into May’s dilemma

Theresa May has come under fire from all sides today in the House of Commons.

– Second referendum supporters are demanding she put her deal to the public.

– Soft Brexit supporters want indicative votes to find an alternative way forward.

– Hardcore Brexiters have expressed anger that the UK won’t leave at the end of next week as promised.

– Meanwhile the EU has already signalled it will oppose an extension to June 30, as requested.

Today’s developmemts appear to have pleased almost nobody.

Juncker told May this morning the EU terms

A spokeswoman for Jean-Claude Juncker said that Mrs May informed him this morning about the letter in a phone call.

But Mr Juncker formally warned Mrs May against including a date for the extension that is after the European Parliament elections. He repeated to her his advice from a letter of March 11 that the UK’s withdrawal had to be complete before May 23, otherwise there would be institutional difficulties and legal uncertainty.

European Parliament elections have to be held involving the UK if the extension date is after May 23.

Could parliament take control?

In response to a question by Oliver Letwin, a Conservative MP who backs her deal but wants a softer Brexit, Mrs May said that if MPs did not back her deal, “the house will have to decide how to proceed”.

That seems to open the door to the Commons taking control of the process, according to the FT’s Henry Mance.

Anger from opposition MPs at May’s short extension request

A number of opposition MPs have expressed their anger, disbelief and frustration at the UK government’s latest move. Here’s a sample:

Yvette Cooper:

Truly shocking. This is a Prime Minister in the worst state of denial, refusing to listen to anyone, just still doing the same thing again and again, no plan B, heading stubbornly towards the cliff edge.

David Lammy:

Shameless and outrageously irresponsible. @theresa_may, by ruling out a long extension you are enabling no deal. You are welcoming the destruction of jobs and undermining national security. You will irrevocably harm this country in the name of self-interest and fear of the ERG.

Lisa Nandy:

This “strategy” from No.10 is the surest way to end up with no deal at the end of June. They aren’t listening, aren’t serious and haven’t got a clue what they’re doing

Wes Streeting:

Theresa May is calling for a short extension to save herself and to manage Conservative Party divisions. As usual the national interest is an afterthought. Outrageous contempt for Parliament. Time to give the Commons the chance to vote on a range of options to break the deadlock.

May to clash with Speaker over deal

Theresa May seems to be on a collision course with the Speaker of the House of Commons, writes the FT’s Henry Mance.

Her letter to Donald Tusk suggests that she will put her deal to another vote in parliament if the EU council formally endorses the legal assurances that she agreed with Jean-Claude Juncker earlier this month in Strasbourg. That, she suggests, would satisfy Speaker John Bercow’s insistence that the deal can only be voted on again if it has substantively changed.

But the Speaker said on Monday that the legal reassurances were what made the second meaningful vote substantively different from the first meaningful vote. So would he really allow a third vote on the basis that the same reassurances are now approved by the EU council?

PM future at stake?

As Mrs May set out her extension request, she said: “As prime minister I am not prepared to delay Brexit any further than June 30.”

Many pundits are interpreting that answer as a hint that she would quit as PM if parliament forced a longer extension than June 30.

PM letter: timetable uncertain at this stage

Theresa May’s letter to Donald Tusk has been published, asking EU leaders to approve supplementary documents agreed in Strasbourg. With these, along with additional further domestic proposals to protect the UK’s internal market, she will put forward a new motion to parliament. The timetable is uncertain, however, and she seeks an extension to June 30.

http://blogs.ft.co…19/03/0134_001.pdf

EmoticonBrussels will strongly oppose June 30 Brexit extension

Brussels will strongly oppose a British request to move Brexit to June 30, reports the FT’s Alex Barker, arguing it would threaten the integrity of the EU, according to a leaked paper.

The European Commission sees EU leaders facing a “binary” choice between granting a short delay to Brexit until May 23 or a long extension to the end of the year and beyond, according to the internal note.

The paper, circulated to the college of Commissioners on Tuesday and seen by the Financial Times, lays out the potential legal and political constraints on changes to Britain’s March 29 exit date.

It forcefully argues against the possibility of extending UK membership beyond May 23 unless Britain participates in the European Parliament elections that month.

“Any other option (as for example an extension until 30 June 2019) would entail serious legal and political risks for the European Union and would import some of the current uncertainties in the UK into the EU27,” the note states.

Corbyn: UK faces ‘full scale national crisis’

Jeremy Corbyn says he wants no deal taken off the table, reminds the prime minister that the house voted to take no deal off the table last week, and calls on the prime minister to take no deal off the table herself.

“This is a national crisis,” he says.

He asks Mrs May to meet him later today.

Mr Corbyn will also go to Brussels tomorrow to meet EU leaders.

EmoticonUK PM writes to Tusk seeking extension to 30 June

Theresa May has requested an extension of Article 50 by three months to the end of June. Mrs May says EU elections would not be in anyone’s interests. The idea that three years after leaving the EU the UK should elect MEPs is unacceptable, she says.

She has in effect ruled out an extension beyond that date.

The prime minister addresses MPs

Theresa May has started Prime Minister’s Questions, where she will be asked by MPs about the state of play for Brexit.

Starmer set to be called over McGovern?

The Speaker is unlikely to accept the Alison McGovern application, writes the FT’s Jim Pickard. But he has heard that the Speaker is more likely to accept the separate application from Keir Starmer, Labour’s shadow Brexit secretary, asking for an emergency SO24 debate.

The Speaker will make his decision much later in the afternoon, after three urgent questions.

Labour whips confirm request for an emergency debate today

The application will come from Labour MP Keir Starmer, and will ask MPs to consider “the matter of the length and purpose of the extension of the Article 50 process requested by the government”. This would be separate to that suggested by Alison McGovern, however.

https://twitter.com/labourwhips/status/1108332406589796352

SO24 to take control

You may not have heard of “Standing Order 24” before but it could play a major role in events in the coming hours, writes the FT’s Jim Pickard.

Alison McGovern, a Labour MP, has issued an SO24, which is the jargon for an emergency debate triggered by an MP.

It is an attempt to challenge Theresa May’s plan to seek only a short extension to Brexit of less than three months.

Many Europhile MPs believe that May’s announcement – expected in a letter later today – plays into the hands of Hard Brexiteers because it creates a new “No-Deal cliff edge” at the end of June.

What will happen today is that the Speaker, John Bercow, will listen to the application, probably after PMQs (so about 12.50pm). He will then decide whether to accept it and hold a debate either today or tomorrow.

Usually an SO24 has to be a “neutral motion”. One person who has seen the McGovern draft says it says something along the lines of “this House notes the UK government intends to seek an extension to Article 50”.

However, the motion could be an amendment by MPs seeking a longer extension to Article 50 and thus to Brexit itself.

Earlier today Labour suggested it would support the McGovern SO24 if Mrs May did not come to the Commons to announce her plan to seek only a short extension.

“The PM should make a statement. If she doesn’t we will support all measures to force a debate in parliament on this matter,” a spokesman said.

But even now there is some suspicion on the opposition benches that this may not come to a vote because – in the words of one person involved in the talks – “it’s not clear there is unanimous Labour frontbench support.”

Grim mood among Tory MPs

The mood in the Conservative parliamentary party is not especially bright this morning, reports the FT’s Seb Payne.

After yesterday’s extraordinary cabinet meeting, where Theresa May did not sum up or express any opinion about a Brexit extension, there is growing anger among MPs that the party is drifting and becoming a laughing stock.

The European Research Group of Brexit-supporting MPs is holding its breath – for now – on what the prospect of a short delay means. Some of its members believe that moving back Brexit Day until the end of June could be another opportunity for parliament to take control of proceedings.

One senior ERG member predicted the short Brexit delay would mean “another three months of dodging Cooper/Boles amendments to hijack the business of Parliament” – a reference to a plan by MPs Yvette Cooper and Nick Boles to allow the Commons to vote on softer forms of Brexit. “We’ve managed to succeed so far,” they added. Another ERG MP said “to say this is interesting is a mild understatement.”

Another senior ERG member said that the ire is, once again, focused on the prime minister’s position. It has been said many times before, but Tory MPs are fuming at the indecision with just a week until the UK is set to leave the EU. The 1922 committee of Conservative MPs will meet at 5pm today and Mrs May is due to speak to them.

One MP predicts it will be a tempestuous meeting: “To quote the song, ‘I Predict A Riot’ at the ’22 tonight. MPs across the party, not just the ERG, say this cannot go on and there are all sorts of things we can do to depose her. The mood is filthy this morning.”

“MPs are either angry or depressed depending on who you speak to. But personally I’m glad this is coming to a head. Let’s make a bloody decision,” said another.

Is Bercow to blame?


The FT’s Henry Mance delivers this blunt assessment from a minister loyal to Theresa May:

“All we know is it’s a f****** mess. That’s the only universal truth… But what else could she do [than request an extension until June 30]?”

The minister said the government’s strategy for winning the meaningful vote on its Brexit deal remained the same – win over the Democratic Unionist party, and hope that enough Eurosceptic Tories come across with them. If Eurosceptics continued to hold out for a no-deal Brexit, “threaten to chuck them out of the party – I’m not joking.”

But the minister also said that the speaker John Bercow had seriously impaired the government’s chances, by saying the same deal cannot be voted on again, because the DUP will not back the deal if there is a risk that it will not be put to the vote. “The speaker’s ruling is stopping the DUP from coming on board.”

Pro-Europe ministers unhappy with short extension request

Pro-EU ministers have expressed their dismay at the British prime minister’s decision to only request a short extension of Article 50, reports the FT’s Laura Hughes.

One told the Financial Times: “This will only work if enough people switch to vote for the withdrawal agreement.”

“If not, then we are just creating a new no-deal deadline and there is clearly no Commons majority for that.”

Another said Mrs May was “not left with a lot of wriggle room” after Eurosceptic ministers suggested in Tuesday’s cabinet meeting that they would resign from the government if she requested a long extension.

Benn: MPs must show EU ‘we have got a plan’

Hilary Benn, Labour MP and one of the architects of previous attempts to wrestle the Brexit process from Theresa May, said earlier that next Monday will be parliament’s chance to show what it will support. Here are some snippets from his Twitter feed this morning.

So with just 9 days to go the country is leaderless and in crisis. It is now the moment for Parliament to provide leadership.

MPs must now debate the real choices we face about what kind of deal we might be prepared to support: a free trade agreement, a customs union and/or a deal like Norway.

The best way to find out which of these might command a majority is to hold indicative votes on them. This is what the Government should be doing – but isn’t – so we must.

Next Monday will be Parliament’s opportunity to do this. We should take it, not least because it will show the EU that we have got a plan for the extension. And whatever deal Parliament does eventually agree should be put back to the people in a confirmatory referendum.

Short delay puts pressure on Labour MPs

Theresa May’s shift towards a shorter extension period could win over the support of a handful of Labour MPs in Leave seats who have previously voted against her deal, reports the FT’s Jim Pickard.

Gareth Snell, Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central, said he would probably vote for the deal now given the greater likelihood of a no-deal Brexit.

“I’m increasingly coming to the conclusion that the only way to stop No Deal may be to vote for her deal,” he said. “I’m not happy about that. I think that was her plan all along.”

Mr Snell said the prime minister should have been working with the Labour leadership to forge an acceptable soft Brexit instead.

And he warned that some Labour politicians changing their minds would not necessarily rescue the prime minister: “There are not enough Labour MPs to get it through,” he said.

But Ruth Smeeth, MP for Stoke-on-Trent North, said she had not changed her mind. “I want to vote for a deal, but she has not made any good enough concessions on the deal yet.”

Duncan Smith: Delay creates ‘wave of problems’

Former Tory leader and vocal Eurosceptic Iain Duncan Smith has separately warned that any delay to the Brexit deadline next week will spell serious trouble for his party at the upcoming local elections.

“There is real, real resistance and concern in the Conservative party, not just in Parliament but on a much wider spectrum around the country in the run-up to the May elections. This will without question cannon into the May elections and cause real issues and concerns.”

“Any delay creates a bow wave of problems, not just for the government here but for the governing party and, frankly, for all those people who voted to leave thinking … we would leave on March 29.”

“There will be repercussions if we don’t deliver on our Brexit vote and on our manifesto.”

Leadsom: ‘Absolutely essential’ avoids EU elections

Meanwhile Andrea Leadsom, the Eurosceptic leader of the House of Commons, warned on LBC radio that the UK must not find itself forced into taking part in EU elections in May.

“It is absolutely essential we are out of the EU before the EU elections. It would be extraordinary for the people who voted to leave the EU to find us fielding candidates for these next elections.”

“Parliament is really trying to overturn the will of the people and that is extremely damaging for our politics. What the Conservative party is trying to do is to deliver on the referendum.”

Hinds: Time for UK to ‘get our act together’

The UK education secretary Damian Hinds told the BBC this morning that a long delay wouldn’t change the fundamental choice facing British MPs.

“I don’t see how a long delay gives certainty. Actually we’ve had a long time already.”

“There’s already been two and a half plus years to do this, I think people are a bit tired of waiting for parliament to get our act together and get the deal passed.”

“We’re coming up very soon to the 29th of March and a short while after that there’s the European elections which is also another important watershed point, so you can’t keep kicking this ball further and further and further. You need to pick it up and run with it.”

What’s happened so far today?

– Theresa May has said she will seek a “short” Brexit extension beyond March 29
– Many MPs had expected her to keep a longer extension as an option, following a vote to that effect last week in parliament
– But Eurosceptics in the UK cabinet threatened to quit if the prime minister sought a long delay
– Jean-Claude Juncker has said the EU cannot approve an extension at a summit this week. He wants clarity on what the UK wants to do with more time

Welcome to the FT’s live coverage of all today’s Brexit goings on in London, Brussels and beyond.





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