May talks with Macron, Merkel for Brexit delay
British Prime Minister Theresa May toured Berlin and Paris on Tuesday to ask for an extension to the deadline for Brexit, which looked increasingly likely to be approved by EU leaders at a crunch meeting in Brussels.
May has asked for a second extension to the deadline for Britain's exit from the European Union from April 12 to June 30, which is set to be discussed by her EU partners on Wednesday.
More than a week after the United Kingdom was originally supposed to have left the EU; May has said Brexit might never happen as she battles to get a divorce deal ratified by a divided parliament.
With little sign of a resolution in London, May dashed to Berlin to seek support for her request to delay Brexit a second time.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel greets British Prime Minister Theresa May upon May's arrival at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, April 9, 2019. /VCG Photo
"The leaders discussed the UK's request for an extension of Article 50 to June 30, with the option to bring this forward if a deal is ratified earlier," Downing Street said. "The leaders agreed on the importance of ensuring Britain's orderly withdrawal from the European Union."
After flying to Berlin to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel, May visited French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris who is seen as a hardliner in the negotiations and a key voice at the EU negotiating table.
The spokesman of PM office said May updated Macron on discussions with the opposition Labor Party aimed at finding a way out the Brexit impasse.
"The prime minister updated President Macron on the ongoing talks with the Opposition to agree a way forward that respects the result of the 2016 referendum," a spokesman said.
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes British Prime Minister Theresa May prior to their meeting at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, France, April 9, 2019. /VCG Photo
"They also discussed upcoming European Parliamentary elections with the PM saying that the government was working very hard to avoid the need for the UK to take part."
What's the plan?
On the eve of an emergency EU summit in Brussels, chief EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said the bloc was ready to grant a delay, but that the duration "has got to be in line with the purpose of any such extension."
"Any extension should serve a purpose. The length should be proportional to the objective. Our objective is an orderly withdrawal," Barnier told a news conference in Luxembourg.
"'No-deal' will never be the EU's decision. In order to avoid 'no-deal', the UK needs to agree to a deal," Barnier said.
Michel Barnier, chief negotiator for the European Union (EU), speaks during a joint news conference with Leo Varadkar, Ireland's prime minister, following their meeting at the Government Buildings in Dublin, Ireland, April 8, 2019. /VCG Photo
EU leaders, fatigued by the three-year Brexit crisis, have repeatedly refused to renegotiate the Withdrawal Agreement that May agreed in November. Barnier repeated that, though he held open the option of agreeing much closer post-Brexit ties.
Speculation has it that Merkel could offer May a better deal. Germany denied that.
The 2016 referendum revealed a United Kingdom divided over much more than EU membership, and has sparked impassioned debate about everything from secession and immigration to capitalism, empire and what it means to be British.
Yet nothing is resolved, and many opponents of Brexit say the whole divorce is at risk, especially if there is a long delay.
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EU weighs Brexit delay options as May scrambles for breakthrough