EU diplomats left Britain on a knife edge as they failed to reach a decision on whether to grant a three-month Brexit extension.
Ambassadors are expected to continue working to reach a unanimous decision over the weekend, but the door was left open to an emergency summit of leaders on Monday.
Labour ’s position on a general election remains uncertain as EU diplomats meet in Brussels to decide whether to grant Boris Johnson ’s request for a Brexit extension.
Jeremy Corbyn says he’ll wait for the EU’s judgement before deciding whether to agree to Boris Johnson’s demand of an early election, insisting no-deal Brexit must be taken off the table first.
But he denied he was “afraid” of an election, saying: “I love campaigning.”
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
A meeting of the EU27 ambassadors broke up without an agreement on an extension.
They are set to meet again next week ahead of a decision on Tuesday.
But the EU leaders are keen to avoid an extraordinary summit which will see leaders such as Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel dragged to Brussels.
The EU’s Brexit coordinator Michel Barnier said: “Excellent discussion but no decision” as he left the meeting.
The Prime Minister was forced by Parliament to write to Brussels requesting the delay after failing to win approval for his deal at last weekend’s special Saturday sitting.
If Labour won’t give in to his demand, the Prime Minister plans to hold Parliament hostage, scrapping all but essential business in the Commons and repeatedly tabling votes to push through an early poll.
Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott said the Labour Party needs an “explicit commitment” that a no-deal scenario is ruled out. She told the Today programme: “The Labour Party is definitely up for an election, but there are two things we need to know.
One is what sort of extension the EU is going to give and as you say we won’t know until Monday.”
