The state of play

Brussels, Sick of Brexit, Braces for a Deadline Debate

Instead, against all Mrs. May’s previous statements, the British will ask the other members of the bloc to extend the March 29 deadline — until June 30, if a deal is nearly done, or a year or more, if the current confusion and paralysis continues.

That is a significant quandary for the other leaders, who will meet next Thursday and Friday and who must unanimously approve any extension request. 

A shorter extension should not be difficult, if a solution seems imminent, because it would end just as the current European Parliament disbands, so Britons would almost surely not have to vote in European elections.

But if a solution is not imminent, a longer extension of a year or even two is more problematic, since it postpones serious choices and means that Britain and Brexit would be issues in these elections, feeding populism and euroskepticism, and that the British would almost surely have to vote, too, to ensure that the next European Parliament had legal standing.

The president of the European Council, Donald Tusk, has urged the bloc to give the British government time to “rethink its Brexit strategy and build consensus around it.” 

But the heads of government have often been tougher on Britain than officials in Brussels, and there is no unanimity of views.

Any one of the 27 member states (apart from the UK) can veto the delay.