‘Halloween’ Brexit plan approved by EU leaders
London: European Union leaders have agreed a new plan for a "Halloween" Brexit, after a fraught meeting in Brussels where France reportedly confronted Germany over fears the UK could prove a force for chaos if it lingered in the EU.
British Prime Minister Theresa May had come to the meeting asking for a delay to June 30, after the House of Commons failed to approve a Brexit deal, and the UK faced a disastrous "no-deal" exit on Friday.
She told the meeting her proposed delay would provide enough time to either agree on a compromise Brexit deal with the Labour opposition, or find a new consensus in Parliament.
But Europe's leaders were reported to have been dubious on prospects of a majority Brexit emerging that quickly in Britain. Some leaders - led by Germany's Angela Merkel - wanted to give the UK up to a year to recalibrate its Brexit expectations.
Others - led by France's Emmanuel Macron - were concerned the UK would cause too many problems for the Union if it was left in limbo.
They feared the real possibility that May would be deposed and replaced by a more fiercely anti-EU prime minister, who might use the UK's veto powers to block EU policies or even its budget.
They compromised on a delay to Brexit until the end of October, with a review in June - and Theresa May agreed to the new date, European Council president Donald Tusk tweeted at 2am Thursday, local time.
The date is significant because, although the UK would temporarily have representatives in the European Parliament, it would not get a vote on the new batch of commissioners in Brussels' vast and powerful EU bureaucracy, the European Commission.
The date was reached after more than six hours of debate, some of it over dinner, in Brussels between the leaders of the 27 countries which will form the post-UK European Union.
But the meeting reconvened past midnight as May was briefed on the conclusions and the leaders continued to debate what conditions they would put on the delay.
A long delay will infuriate many of May's Conservative colleagues and could mean the end of her premiership, though she is reportedly determined to see the Brexit divorce deal done, and cannot face another formal leadership challenge until December thanks to a failed coup at the end of 2018.
Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith told the BBC May’s "firm date of departure" should be in May or June.
"To have a leadership contest in the Conservative Party [that] is going to take the better part of 10 to 11 weeks, and that will take you to the autumn, so this thing is going to have to happen," he said.
Government and Labour delegates are due to meet again on Thursday to try to thrash out a united plan for Brexit that could command a majority in the House of Commons.
Sticking points reportedly include Labour’s desire for a post-Brexit customs union with the EU and a “confirmatory vote” – that is, another referendum on the final deal.
more to come