British government to postpone fourth Brexit vote?

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The British government indicated on Thursday that it is likely to postpone a crucial Brexit vote scheduled for the first week of June, following an outcry from hardline Brexiteers over concessions made by Prime Minister Theresa May.

"We will update the house on the publication and introduction of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill on our return from the Whitsun recess" on June 4, government official Mark Spencer told MPs.

Spencer said the government had planned to hold the vote on a landmark piece of legislation to implement Brexit on June 7 but had not been able to fix this date.

U.S. President Donald Trump (L) and British Prime Minister Theresa May attend a joint news conference at Chequers in Aylesbury, UK, July 13, 2018. /VCG Photo

May is under intense pressure to resign after holding out the prospect of a parliamentary vote on a second referendum to try and persuade MPs to support the divorce deal she has struck with EU leaders.

The deal has already been rejected three times in parliament, forcing a delay to the planned date of Brexit on March 29, and still faces strong cross-party opposition.

Hunt: May will still be PM when Trump visits UK

Britain's Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt said on Thursday that May would still be prime minister when U.S. President Donald Trump visits Britain in early June.

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"Theresa May will be prime minister to welcome him, and rightly so," Hunt said when asked by a reporter who he expected would be prime minister when Trump starts his state visit to Britain on June 3.

May remains focused on delivering Brexit and will meet with ministers on Thursday, her spokesman said.

"The prime minister is listening to her colleagues about the bill and will be having further discussions," the spokesman told reporters. "She is focused on delivering Brexit."

Brexit not on EU's mind as bloc eyes future

On the other hand, the European Union is focusing on positive agenda and "all the rest" in not on its mind, the spokesman for the bloc's executive said on Thursday when asked about Brexit.

European Council President Donald Tusk (L), Britain's Prime minister Theresa May (C) and Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel (R) attend a European Council meeting on Brexit in Brussels, April 10, 2019. /VCG Photo

"We are geared to a positive agenda of the European Union and that's what matters to us," the spokesman, Margaritis Schinas, told a daily news briefing in Brussels in response to a question about Brexit. "All the rest is not something that is on our mind."

Schinas reiterated that Britain's stalled EU exit treaty cannot be changed but that the accompanying political declaration on future EU-UK ties after Brexit could be reviewed.

Asked about the bloc's relationship with any new British leader in case May resigns, Schinas said: "We will always be also ready to speak to the prime minister of the United Kingdom."

(Cover: British Prime Minister Theresa May speaks during the weekly Prime Minister's Questions session in the House of Commons in London, May 15, 2019. /VCG Photo)

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Source(s): AFP ,Reuters