London [UK]: British Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday said she will ask for an extension to the long-pending process of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union, commonly called ‘Brexit’. Addressing media outside Downing Street, following a meeting with the Cabinet ministers, CNN quoted May as saying, “I know there are some who are so fed up with delay and endless arguments that they would like to leave with no deal next week, I’ve always been clear that we could make a success of no deal in the long term.” “But leaving with a deal is the best solution. So we will need a further extension of Article 50, one that is as short as possible and which ends when we pass a deal,” May added.
“And we need to be clear what such an extension is for, to ensure we leave in a timely and orderly way. This debate, this division, cannot drag on much longer. It is putting members of Parliament and everyone else under immense pressure and it is doing damage to our politics,” she said. The Prime Minister also said that she wants to meet Labour Party and Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn to agree a plan on the future relationship with the EU.
“If we cannot agree on the single unified approach then we would instead agree a number of options for the future relationship that we could put to the House in a series of votes to determine which course to pursue,” May said. Crucially, the Government stands ready to abide by the decision of the House, but to make this process work, the Opposition would need to agree to this too, UK’s prime minister said.
“The Government would then bring forward the Withdrawal Agreement bill. We would want to agree a timetable for this Bill to ensure it is passed before the 22nd of May so that the United Kingdom need not take part in the European parliamentary elections,” May said. The Prime Minister further reiterated that the deal, signed under Article 50 — a process triggered by any country leaving the EU bloc, has already been negotiated with the 27 other members and the EU has repeatedly said that it cannot and will not be reopened.
“What we need to focus on is our future relationship with the EU,” she said. “This is a decisive moment in the story of these islands and it requires national unity to deliver the national interest,” May added. No resolution seems to be in sight for the UK as the British Parliament had earlier rejected a “no-deal Brexit” scenario. The EU, on the other hand, has reiterated on multiple occasions that the previously negotiated Withdrawal Agreement, which has now been rejected thrice, is the best that can be put on offer.
In yet another blow for the British Prime Minister, British lawmakers on Monday voted against all four possible alternative plans proposed for the Withdrawal Agreement, which included plans to hold a second referendum, retaining much closer economic ties after leaving the EU, or stopping Brexit to prevent a no-deal departure.
