‘WEAK, WEAK, WEAK’

Theresa May Begs EU for Three Month Brexit Delay After Internal Revolt

Pro-Brexit ministers forced her to abandon plan for longer extension.

For nearly two years, Theresa May has insisted that Britain would leave the EU on March 29 of this year. But after a string of humiliating setbacks, blunders, and defeats, she's finally asked the EU if she can have more time. She's asked the president of the European Commission if she can extend the Brexit deadline to June 30 to give her three more months to persuade lawmakers to back her deal, which has been twice rejected in parliament. The deadline extension is shorter than one proposed last week, when she led lawmakers to believe that if they didn’t approve her deal by March 29 then she would be forced to ask for a delay that could run into years. However, following a revolt among pro-Brexit members of her cabinet this week, May was forced to abandon her word and has asked for a short delay instead. A minister told BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg: “Weak, weak, weak. Substantially increases the risk of no deal. Her most craven surrender to the hardliners yet. She knows this is the wrong choice for the country but she’s putting her short-term interests first.” The extension will now have to be approved by each of the other 27 EU member states. If it’s not, and no deal is agreed over the next week, then Britain will still crash out of the bloc with no deal in place a week on Friday.

PUTTING IT OFF

Britain Begs the EU for a Brexit Deadline Extension

Jamie Ross