Brexit: UK asks EU for further extension until 30 June - BBC News

Theresa May has written to the European Union to request a further delay to Brexit until 30 June.

The UK is currently due to leave the EU on 12 April and, as yet, no withdrawal deal has been approved by MPs.

The government has been in talks with the Labour Party to try and find a compromise to put to the Commons.

But shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said the Tory negotiating team had offered no changes to Mrs May's original deal.

The PM said from the outset she wanted to keep her withdrawal agreement as part of any plan, but was willing to discuss the UK's future relationship with the EU - addressed in the deal's political declaration.

Sir Keir said the government was "not countenancing any change to the actual wording of the political declaration", adding: "Compromise requires change."

The prime minister has proposed that if UK MPs approve a deal in time, the UK should be able to leave before European Parliamentary elections on 23 May.

But she said the UK would prepare to field candidates in those elections in case no agreement is reached.

It is up to the EU whether to grant an extension to Article 50, the legal process through which the UK is leaving the EU, after MPs repeatedly rejected the withdrawal agreement reached between the UK and the bloc.

'Flexible extension'

The BBC's Europe editor Katya Adler has been told by a senior EU source that European Council President Donald Tusk will propose a 12-month "flexible" extension to Brexit, with the option of cutting it short, if the UK Parliament ratifies a deal.

But French President Emmanuel Macron's office said on Friday that it was "premature" to consider another delay while French diplomatic sources described Mr Tusk's suggestion as a "clumsy test balloon".

The prime minister wrote to Mr Tusk to request the extension ahead of an EU summit on 10 April, where EU leaders would have to unanimously agree on any plan to delay the UK's departure.

Mrs May has already requested an extension to the end of June but this was rejected at a summit last month.

Instead, she was offered a short delay to 12 April - the date by which the UK must say whether it intends to take part in the European Parliamentary elections - or until 22 May, if UK MPs had approved the withdrawal deal negotiated with the EU. They voted it down for a third time last week.

A Downing Street spokesman said there were "different circumstances now" and the prime minister "has been clear she is seeking a short extension".

Why 30 June?

The 30 June date is significant.

It's the day before the new European Parliament will hold its first session. So the logic is, that it would allow the UK a bit longer to seal a deal - but without the need for British MEPs to take their seats in a parliament that the UK electorate had voted to leave as long ago as 2016.

But, this being Theresa May, it's a plan she has previously proposed - and which has already been rejected.

It's likely the EU will reject it again and offer a longer extension, with the ability to leave earlier if Parliament agrees a deal.

But by asking for a relatively short extension - even if she is unsuccessful - the prime minister will be hoping to escape the ire of some of her Brexit-supporting backbenchers who are champing at the bit to leave.

And she will try to signal to Leave-supporting voters that her choice is to get out of the EU as soon as is practicable - and that a longer extension will be something that is forced upon her, rather than something which she embraces.

In her letter, the prime minister says she would continue to seek the "rapid approval" of the withdrawal agreement and a "shared vision" for the future relationship between the UK and EU.

She said if cross-party talks with the Labour Party could not establish "a single unified approach" in the UK Parliament - MPs would be asked to vote on a series of Brexit options instead which the government "stands ready to abide by", if Labour commits to doing the same.

The UK proposes an extension to the process until 30 June, she wrote, and "accepts the European Council's view that if the United Kingdom were still a member state of the European Union on 23 May 2019, it would be under a legal obligation to hold the elections".

To this end, she says the UK is "undertaking the lawful and responsible preparations for this contingency".

But she suggests the UK should be able to leave earlier, if the UK Parliament approves a withdrawal deal before then, and cancel preparations for the European Parliamentary elections.

The EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, at a meeting of EU ambassadors in Brussels, said any extension granted should be the last and final offer, to maintain the EU's credibility.

Tusk's 'flextension'

You could almost hear the sound of collective eye-rolling across 27 European capitals after Theresa May requested a Brexit extension-time that Brussels has already repeatedly rejected.

Most EU leaders are leaning towards a longer Brexit delay, to avoid being constantly approached by the PM for a rolling series of short extensions, with the threat of a no-deal Brexit always just round the corner.

Donald Tusk believes he has hit on a compromise solution: his "flextension" which would last a year, with the UK able to walk away from it, as soon as Parliament ratifies the Brexit deal.

But EU leaders are not yet singing from the same hymn sheet on this.

Expect closed-door political fireworks - though it's unclear whether it'll be a modest display or an all-out extravaganza - at their emergency Brexit summit next week. Under EU law, they have to hammer out a unanimous position.

Read Katya's blog

Talks between Labour and the Conservatives are continuing on Friday.

Speaking to Labour activists in Newport on Friday, Mr Corbyn said the government "haven't appeared to have changed their opinions very much as yet". He said Labour would push to maintain the UK's "market relationship with Europe", including defending rights and regulations.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the UK still hoped to leave "in the next couple of months" but it may have "little choice" but to accept a longer delay if Parliament could not agree a solution.

But Conservative Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg said the EU "should be careful what it wishes for".

"If we have EU elections, it is likely UKIP, Tommy Robinson and Nigel Farage will do well," he told BBC Radio 4's World at One.

Another Tory Eurosceptic, Sir Bernard Jenkin, said he would prefer to stay in the EU for another year than for Britain to accept a "humiliating defeat" of a withdrawal agreement.

The Scottish National Party's Stephen Gethins said that the prime minister's proposal "demonstrates beyond doubt she is putting the interests of her fractured Tory Party above all else".

"It is clear that with the UK Parliament unable to reach a consensus - coupled with everything we now know on the damaging impact Brexit will have on the UK economy, jobs and living standards - it must now be the priority that the issue is brought back to the people in a fresh second EU referendum, with the option to remain on the ballot paper."

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https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47825841

2019-04-06 01:33:41Z
52780260471939

Brexit: UK asks EU for further extension until 30 June - BBC News

Theresa May has written to the European Union to request a further delay to Brexit until 30 June.

The UK is currently due to leave the EU on 12 April and, as yet, no withdrawal deal has been approved by MPs.

The government has been in talks with the Labour Party to try and find a compromise to put to the Commons.

But shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said the Tory negotiating team had offered no changes to Mrs May's original deal.

The PM said from the outset she wanted to keep her withdrawal agreement as part of any plan, but was willing to discuss the UK's future relationship with the EU - addressed in the deal's political declaration.

Sir Keir said the government was "not countenancing any change to the actual wording of the political declaration", adding: "Compromise requires change."

The prime minister has proposed that if UK MPs approve a deal in time, the UK should be able to leave before European Parliamentary elections on 23 May.

But she said the UK would prepare to field candidates in those elections in case no agreement is reached.

It is up to the EU whether to grant an extension to Article 50, the legal process through which the UK is leaving the EU, after MPs repeatedly rejected the withdrawal agreement reached between the UK and the bloc.

'Flexible extension'

The BBC's Europe editor Katya Adler has been told by a senior EU source that European Council President Donald Tusk will propose a 12-month "flexible" extension to Brexit, with the option of cutting it short, if the UK Parliament ratifies a deal.

But French President Emmanuel Macron's office said on Friday that it was "premature" to consider another delay while French diplomatic sources described Mr Tusk's suggestion as a "clumsy test balloon".

The prime minister wrote to Mr Tusk to request the extension ahead of an EU summit on 10 April, where EU leaders would have to unanimously agree on any plan to delay the UK's departure.

Mrs May has already requested an extension to the end of June but this was rejected at a summit last month.

Instead, she was offered a short delay to 12 April - the date by which the UK must say whether it intends to take part in the European Parliamentary elections - or until 22 May, if UK MPs had approved the withdrawal deal negotiated with the EU. They voted it down for a third time last week.

A Downing Street spokesman said there were "different circumstances now" and the prime minister "has been clear she is seeking a short extension".

Why 30 June?

The 30 June date is significant.

It's the day before the new European Parliament will hold its first session. So the logic is, that it would allow the UK a bit longer to seal a deal - but without the need for British MEPs to take their seats in a parliament that the UK electorate had voted to leave as long ago as 2016.

But, this being Theresa May, it's a plan she has previously proposed - and which has already been rejected.

It's likely the EU will reject it again and offer a longer extension, with the ability to leave earlier if Parliament agrees a deal.

But by asking for a relatively short extension - even if she is unsuccessful - the prime minister will be hoping to escape the ire of some of her Brexit-supporting backbenchers who are champing at the bit to leave.

And she will try to signal to Leave-supporting voters that her choice is to get out of the EU as soon as is practicable - and that a longer extension will be something that is forced upon her, rather than something which she embraces.

In her letter, the prime minister says she would continue to seek the "rapid approval" of the withdrawal agreement and a "shared vision" for the future relationship between the UK and EU.

She said if cross-party talks with the Labour Party could not establish "a single unified approach" in the UK Parliament - MPs would be asked to vote on a series of Brexit options instead which the government "stands ready to abide by", if Labour commits to doing the same.

The UK proposes an extension to the process until 30 June, she wrote, and "accepts the European Council's view that if the United Kingdom were still a member state of the European Union on 23 May 2019, it would be under a legal obligation to hold the elections".

To this end, she says the UK is "undertaking the lawful and responsible preparations for this contingency".

But she suggests the UK should be able to leave earlier, if the UK Parliament approves a withdrawal deal before then, and cancel preparations for the European Parliamentary elections.

The EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, at a meeting of EU ambassadors in Brussels, said any extension granted should be the last and final offer, to maintain the EU's credibility.

Tusk's 'flextension'

You could almost hear the sound of collective eye-rolling across 27 European capitals after Theresa May requested a Brexit extension-time that Brussels has already repeatedly rejected.

Most EU leaders are leaning towards a longer Brexit delay, to avoid being constantly approached by the PM for a rolling series of short extensions, with the threat of a no-deal Brexit always just round the corner.

Donald Tusk believes he has hit on a compromise solution: his "flextension" which would last a year, with the UK able to walk away from it, as soon as Parliament ratifies the Brexit deal.

But EU leaders are not yet singing from the same hymn sheet on this.

Expect closed-door political fireworks - though it's unclear whether it'll be a modest display or an all-out extravaganza - at their emergency Brexit summit next week. Under EU law, they have to hammer out a unanimous position.

Read Katya's blog

Talks between Labour and the Conservatives are continuing on Friday.

Speaking to Labour activists in Newport on Friday, Mr Corbyn said the government "haven't appeared to have changed their opinions very much as yet". He said Labour would push to maintain the UK's "market relationship with Europe", including defending rights and regulations.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the UK still hoped to leave "in the next couple of months" but it may have "little choice" but to accept a longer delay if Parliament could not agree a solution.

But Conservative Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg said the EU "should be careful what it wishes for".

"If we have EU elections, it is likely UKIP, Tommy Robinson and Nigel Farage will do well," he told BBC Radio 4's World at One.

Another Tory Eurosceptic, Sir Bernard Jenkin, said he would prefer to stay in the EU for another year than for Britain to accept a "humiliating defeat" of a withdrawal agreement.

The Scottish National Party's Stephen Gethins said that the prime minister's proposal "demonstrates beyond doubt she is putting the interests of her fractured Tory Party above all else".

"It is clear that with the UK Parliament unable to reach a consensus - coupled with everything we now know on the damaging impact Brexit will have on the UK economy, jobs and living standards - it must now be the priority that the issue is brought back to the people in a fresh second EU referendum, with the option to remain on the ballot paper."

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https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47825841

2019-04-06 00:34:06Z
52780260471939

Brexit: UK asks EU for further extension until 30 June - BBC News

Theresa May has written to the European Union to request a further delay to Brexit until 30 June.

The UK is currently due to leave the EU on 12 April and, as yet, no withdrawal deal has been approved by MPs.

The government has been in talks with the Labour Party to try and find a compromise to put to the Commons.

But shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said the Tory negotiating team had offered no changes to Mrs May's original deal.

The PM said from the outset she wanted to keep her withdrawal agreement as part of any plan, but was willing to discuss the UK's future relationship with the EU - addressed in the deal's political declaration.

Sir Keir said the government was "not countenancing any change to the actual wording of the political declaration", adding: "Compromise requires change."

The prime minister has proposed that if UK MPs approve a deal in time, the UK should be able to leave before European Parliamentary elections on 23 May.

But she said the UK would prepare to field candidates in those elections in case no agreement is reached.

It is up to the EU whether to grant an extension to Article 50, the legal process through which the UK is leaving the EU, after MPs repeatedly rejected the withdrawal agreement reached between the UK and the bloc.

'Flexible extension'

The BBC's Europe editor Katya Adler has been told by a senior EU source that European Council President Donald Tusk will propose a 12-month "flexible" extension to Brexit, with the option of cutting it short, if the UK Parliament ratifies a deal.

But French President Emmanuel Macron's office said on Friday that it was "premature" to consider another delay while French diplomatic sources described Mr Tusk's suggestion as a "clumsy test balloon".

The prime minister wrote to Mr Tusk to request the extension ahead of an EU summit on 10 April, where EU leaders would have to unanimously agree on any plan to delay the UK's departure.

Mrs May has already requested an extension to the end of June but this was rejected at a summit last month.

Instead, she was offered a short delay to 12 April - the date by which the UK must say whether it intends to take part in the European Parliamentary elections - or until 22 May, if UK MPs had approved the withdrawal deal negotiated with the EU. They voted it down for a third time last week.

A Downing Street spokesman said there were "different circumstances now" and the prime minister "has been clear she is seeking a short extension".

Why 30 June?

The 30 June date is significant.

It's the day before the new European Parliament will hold its first session. So the logic is, that it would allow the UK a bit longer to seal a deal - but without the need for British MEPs to take their seats in a parliament that the UK electorate had voted to leave as long ago as 2016.

But, this being Theresa May, it's a plan she has previously proposed - and which has already been rejected.

It's likely the EU will reject it again and offer a longer extension, with the ability to leave earlier if Parliament agrees a deal.

But by asking for a relatively short extension - even if she is unsuccessful - the prime minister will be hoping to escape the ire of some of her Brexit-supporting backbenchers who are champing at the bit to leave.

And she will try to signal to Leave-supporting voters that her choice is to get out of the EU as soon as is practicable - and that a longer extension will be something that is forced upon her, rather than something which she embraces.

In her letter, the prime minister says she would continue to seek the "rapid approval" of the withdrawal agreement and a "shared vision" for the future relationship between the UK and EU.

She said if cross-party talks with the Labour Party could not establish "a single unified approach" in the UK Parliament - MPs would be asked to vote on a series of Brexit options instead which the government "stands ready to abide by", if Labour commits to doing the same.

The UK proposes an extension to the process until 30 June, she wrote, and "accepts the European Council's view that if the United Kingdom were still a member state of the European Union on 23 May 2019, it would be under a legal obligation to hold the elections".

To this end, she says the UK is "undertaking the lawful and responsible preparations for this contingency".

But she suggests the UK should be able to leave earlier, if the UK Parliament approves a withdrawal deal before then, and cancel preparations for the European Parliamentary elections.

The EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, at a meeting of EU ambassadors in Brussels, said any extension granted should be the last and final offer, to maintain the EU's credibility.

Tusk's 'flextension'

You could almost hear the sound of collective eye-rolling across 27 European capitals after Theresa May requested a Brexit extension-time that Brussels has already repeatedly rejected.

Most EU leaders are leaning towards a longer Brexit delay, to avoid being constantly approached by the PM for a rolling series of short extensions, with the threat of a no-deal Brexit always just round the corner.

Donald Tusk believes he has hit on a compromise solution: his "flextension" which would last a year, with the UK able to walk away from it, as soon as Parliament ratifies the Brexit deal.

But EU leaders are not yet singing from the same hymn sheet on this.

Expect closed-door political fireworks - though it's unclear whether it'll be a modest display or an all-out extravaganza - at their emergency Brexit summit next week. Under EU law, they have to hammer out a unanimous position.

Read Katya's blog

Talks between Labour and the Conservatives are continuing on Friday.

Speaking to Labour activists in Newport on Friday, Mr Corbyn said the government "haven't appeared to have changed their opinions very much as yet". He said Labour would push to maintain the UK's "market relationship with Europe", including defending rights and regulations.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the UK still hoped to leave "in the next couple of months" but it may have "little choice" but to accept a longer delay if Parliament could not agree a solution.

But Conservative Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg said the EU "should be careful what it wishes for".

"If we have EU elections, it is likely UKIP, Tommy Robinson and Nigel Farage will do well," he told BBC Radio 4's World at One.

Another Tory Eurosceptic, Sir Bernard Jenkin, said he would prefer to stay in the EU for another year than for Britain to accept a "humiliating defeat" of a withdrawal agreement.

The Scottish National Party's Stephen Gethins said that the prime minister's proposal "demonstrates beyond doubt she is putting the interests of her fractured Tory Party above all else".

"It is clear that with the UK Parliament unable to reach a consensus - coupled with everything we now know on the damaging impact Brexit will have on the UK economy, jobs and living standards - it must now be the priority that the issue is brought back to the people in a fresh second EU referendum, with the option to remain on the ballot paper."

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https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47825841

2019-04-05 08:06:37Z
52780260471939

U.K. Politicians Are in Full-Blown Brexit Panic Mode - New York Magazine

Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May are trying to come up with a last-minute breakthrough. Photo: Karwai Tang/WireImage

If the U.K. government and Parliament don’t agree on a workable plan for Brexit by next Friday, their country is on track to crash out of the European Union with no deal. If there is one thing Prime Minister Theresa May and most (but not all!) members of Parliament can agree on, it’s that a no-deal Brexit would be materially disastrous for Britain and fatal to their own political fortunes as well. Nonetheless, despite an escalating series of desperate moves this week, they are still distressingly far from a final deal.

On Monday, Parliament narrowly rejected several potential alternatives to the thrice-rejected Brexit deal May negotiated with the E.U. (If this sounds familiar, that’s because it’s almost an exact repeat of the strategy they tried last week.) All four indicative votes failed, but two “soft Brexit” motions came within striking distance of a majority. The first, tabled by Conservative whip Nick Boles, would have the U.K. enter a permanent customs union with the E.U. The other, dubbed “Common Market 2.0,” is a Norwegian-style arrangement that would entail joining the European Free Trade Association and European Economic Area. Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn had encouraged his party’s MPs to vote for both options, which most did, but ten Labour MPs voted against the customs union and 25 rejected the common market proposal — more than enough to flip the outcomes.

The deep internal divisions Brexit has uncovered in both major parties were instrumental in ensuring that there was no majority for any option. While Labour is riven between MPs advocating a soft Brexit and those holding out for no Brexit at all, the Tories are split into several factions, with some willing to back May’s deal, others seeking a softer Brexit, and the right flank demanding a hard Brexit, even if that means crashing out with no deal. Boles reacted to the defeat of his motion on Monday by resigning from the Conservative Party entirely, lashing out at its refusal to compromise.

On Tuesday, May convened her cabinet for a seven-hour come-to-Jesus meeting in which nobody seemed willing to come to Jesus. The prime minister emerged from the meeting with an announcement that she would seek another “Brextension” from the E.U. (the original deadline was March 29) and would sit down with Corbyn to try and find a compromise. For May, this represented a major step down from her previous insistence that no deal was better than a bad deal, indicating that she was now willing to accept a softer Brexit plan that a large faction of her own party would reject.

This olive branch to the opposition did not go over well among the Tories: Two ministers quit the government in protest on Wednesday, including Brexit minister Chris Heaton-Harris, who claimed in his resignation letter that the country was better prepared for a crash-out than May realized and that the country should have departed the E.U. last Friday as planned. May has now faced more resignations, and at a faster pace, than any of the last five prime ministers who preceded her, and the bloodletting may not be over: She could ultimately lose 15 ministers, including five cabinet ministers, over this outrage.

Just as the Tory Brexiteer rebels are nipping at May’s heels, Corbyn himself is now facing pressure from his party to push for a second referendum: Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry told her colleagues she would insist that any cross-party pact be put to a public vote, with the option to cancel Brexit and remain in the E.U. on the ballot. The Scottish National Party is also increasingly firm in its demands for a second referendum. On the other hand, one of May’s Northern Irish allies, the Democratic Unionist Party, hinted that his party could hold their nose and vote for a customs union as “a temporary staging post” toward the U.K. being able to make its own trade deals again (although just how the U.K. gets from point A to point B in that scenario remains a mystery).

The prime minister and Corbyn did not come to any conclusions in Wednesday’s discussions but described them as “constructive.” May’s hope is that she and the opposition leader can either agree on a compromise solution, or at least on a binding process to conclusively determine what form of Brexit is acceptable to the House of Commons. Their talks are continuing today.

Wednesday also saw further drama in Parliament, with two knife-edge votes. MPs split 210-210 — the Commons’ first tie since 1993 — on whether to hold yet another round of indicative votes next Monday. Speaker John Bercow, who is only allowed to vote to break ties, cast the deciding vote against the motion, arguing that it would be improper for him to “create a majority which does not otherwise exist.” At the end of the day, by just one vote, the lower house passed hastily prepared legislation reaffirming their commitment to avoiding no-deal and requiring May to request a further delay from Brussels, with Parliament getting a say in the details of that extension.

Any further delay would require the unanimous consent of the 27 other member states of the E.U., which is not a given. The two-week extension they granted last month was controversial, and far short of the three months May had asked for. European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said on Wednesday that the bloc would not grant any more short-term extensions without a final deal in hand by the April 12 deadline. The U.K. is looking at asking for a longer delay, perhaps nine months, but with the option of bringing it to a close as soon as Parliament approves a plan. This could require the U.K. to participate in the impending election of a new European Parliament in late May, which the E.U. has been keen to avoid. Given how thin E.U. leaders’ patience has been stretched, there is a very real chance that the May’s request will be rebuffed at next Wednesday’s emergency European Council meeting.

Even the E.U. officials who have been most willing to cut the U.K. a break are anticipating a crash-out next week. The E.U.’s Brexit coordinator Guy Verhofstadt tweeted after Monday’s vote that a hard Brexit was now “nearly inevitable.” The bloc’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier called the no-deal scenario “very likely,” as did Juncker in his statement yesterday. Meanwhile, Bank of England governor Mark Carney said the risk of a disorderly Brexit was now “alarmingly high.” Deutsche Bank announced on Monday that it had raised its estimate for the probability of a no-deal Brexit from 20 to 25 percent and was shorting the pound. Many businesses have already prepared for the worst, meaning the toll of Brexit on the British economy is already partly locked in, no matter what happens now.

To get a sense of how bad a no-deal Brexit would be, look at the letter leaked to the Daily Mail on Monday in which Cabinet Secretary Mark Sedwill warned senior ministers of a 10 percent increase in food prices, a recession worse than the one in 2008, the weakening of public order and national security, and the need to reintroduce direct rule in Northern Ireland for the first time since 2007. It’s not hard to see why May is willing to sacrifice what’s left of her political career to avoid this; really, the only question is what on earth took her so long.

A fundamental obstacle to U.K. legislators passing a Brexit deal is and has always been that most MPs really never supported Brexit in the first place. Even most Conservative MPs, including May herself and most of her cabinet, were Remainers (and remain so), even as they pretend otherwise to pander to their pro-Leave constituents. Nearly three years after stumbling into a popular mandate for a choice most MPs know to be bad, they can’t bring themselves to comply with it.

Parliament has now voted three times against a no-deal Brexit, but MPs have no control over the decisions of European heads of state, much less the inexorable forward march of time. Absent an acceptable deal with majority support (or a politically calamitous decision to revoke Article 50), the U.K. leaves the E.U. next Friday, ready or not — any delay just kicks that can a little farther down the road. That’s why the hard Brexiteers look most likely to get what they want right now: Everyone else has to get their preferred solution through Parliament and then past the E.U., but all they have to do is wait.

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http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/04/uk-politicians-brexit-panic-mode.html

2019-04-04 17:18:08Z
CAIiEHYxquxymFwLxj7_2_Hnp1oqGQgEKhAIACoHCAowi_yDCzDblYADMKD-9QU

Brexit: The facts and what you need to know as the United Kingdom's future in the European Union hangs in the balance - CBS News

London -- As Britain approaches the date it is supposed to exit the European Union, the Brexit process is only getting more chaotic. The chance of the U.K. crashing out of the union it helped to create without any agreement in place on future relations is more likely than ever. With daily headlines about deadline extensions, cabinet resignations and cross-party negotiations, what are the facts? 

Is there a hard deadline for Brexit?

Fact: Currently, the cliff edge is April 12, but the U.K. may ask for an extension. Source: European Union.

Initially, the deadline for Britain to leave the European Union was March 29, 2019, but the EU granted the U.K. an extension. The bloc agreed to a delay, but demanded that lawmakers in London use the extra time to pass at least one key piece of Brexit legislation -- the Withdrawal Agreement -- by March 29. They failed to do that.

The EU then let the deadline for the U.K. to pass a withdrawal agreement slide to April 12. On Wednesday, the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, said the EU would not grant any more short extensions beyond that date (he did leave open the possibility of a longer delay, however). On Wednesday night, the British House of Commons voted to send Prime Minister Theresa May back to the EU to ask for another extension.

Both the U.K. and the EU have been trying to avoid Britain participating in upcoming European parliamentary elections, which are scheduled for late May. But if Britain is still technically a member of the union by then, it will have to field candidates under EU law.

What's wrong with the deal May reached with the EU?

Fact: Approximately 3,500 people were killed in "The Troubles," a decades-long violent conflict in Northern Island that ended in the 1990s. The end of that conflict opened up the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. Source: Malcolm Sutton's Index of Deaths from the Conflict in Ireland, Ulster University    

The conflict that ended in the 1990s with the "Good Friday Agreement" has been one of the biggest thorns in the side of the British government's withdrawal deal.

Theresa May's deal would put an end to free trade and free movement between Britain and EU countries. Northern Ireland (part of the U.K.) and the Republic of Ireland (an independent country and EU member) share a land border. That border has remained open as part of the peace agreement which put an end to decades of conflict. Ending free movement and trade between Britain and the EU would require some level of new border controls on that Irish border, and many fear that could stoke sectarian tensions still simmering beneath the surface, and jeopardize the hard-won peace.

May's way around this problem in her draft deal with the EU is the so-called "backstop," which states that the U.K. would effectively remain within the customs union with the EU until a solution for the Irish border can be negotiated and put in place. Critics point out, however, that that could be never.

It was this "backstop" clause, and the possibility that it could keep Britain bound to EU customs rules indefinitely after Brexit, that made May's deal a no-go for many hardline "Brexiteers" in her party.

What about EU citizens living in the U.K.?

Fact: There are approximately 3.7 million EU citizens living in the United Kingdom. An estimated 1.3 British-born people lived in other EU countries in 2017. Source: UK Office for National Statistics and the United Nations.

May's withdrawal agreement set out a plan for how to deal with the millions of EU citizens living in the U.K., many of whom have resided here for decades and never had to think about their immigration status. Under her plan, EU citizens living in Britain would have to apply for "Settled Status," which would protect some of their rights -- primarily their rights to live and work in the U.K. Thousands have already applied.

If the U.K. crashes out of the EU without a deal, the British government has said that Settled Status will still apply, though parts of the timetable will vary, including the period during which applications can be made. On Wednesday, the EU said British citizens would still be able to travel to and within the EU without a visa for up to 90 days, even if the U.K. crashes out with no deal.

Rights groups have voiced concerns about whether EU citizens from vulnerable groups living in Britain, including the elderly and children in state care, will have the necessary support to apply for Settled Status. The process can be done either online or via a smart phone app.

Could there be another U.K. referendum?

Fact: The opposition Labour Party's position is that it will back a second referendum, but only under certain circumstances. Source: BBC News  

According to the BBC, opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn has told members of his party that he would consider another public vote to prevent a "damaging Tory Brexit," or a no-deal Brexit.

May has been unable to get her draft deal passed by the House of Commons, where her own Conservative Party and its allies hold a majority, so she has reached out to Labour and Corbyn to try to cobble together enough votes across the aisle to get it approved. 

Corbyn may not ask for another referendum if he and May are able to reach a compromise deal. That would anger some members of his party, who want any agreement to be put to a public, confirmatory vote. It would also infuriate the hardcore pro-Brexit lawmakers in May's party, who would see any further compromise in favor of closer future ties with Europe as a betrayal of the 2016 referendum result calling for Brexit in the first place.

Corbyn said the first day of negotiations on Wednesday was "useful but inconclusive." Talks were expected to continue on Thursday.

Will Brexit hurt the U.S. economy?

Fact: The United Kingdom is the U.S.'s top foreign investor. Source: CBS MoneyWatch

The United Kingdom is the U.S.'s biggest foreign direct investor, and experts predict that its economy will take a hit if there is a no-deal Brexit. Last week, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce issued a statement urging the British government to come up with a solution to avoid crashing out of the EU.

"We urge MPs to find consensus immediately on a way forward that avoids what surely would be a disastrous development for consumers, workers and businesses alike," the statement said.

A no-deal Brexit could disrupt global financial markets and be a "system risk" to American banks, according to the Financial Stability Oversight Council.

What happens if there is a no-deal Brexit?

Fact: If Britain crashes out of the EU without a deal, there will be no transition period. Source: Full Fact

Under Theresa May's proposed deal, the U.K. would leave the EU and then have an extended transition period to negotiate its future relationship with the bloc. Without a deal, at midnight on April 12, Britain would simply cease to be a member of the European Union, facing new tariffs and border controls.

Goods which had moved freely between EU countries for decades would likely be suddenly subjected to much higher tariffs. Economists have warned that Britain's residents could see price increases as well as shortages of food and medicine, and there could be major delays at ports as new customs regulations are put in place. 

While the government and the EU have been quietly planning for this contingency for months, even years, the truth is it remains unclear exactly how an unprecedented exit by an EU member state -- with, but especially without a deal -- could effect everyday life.

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https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-facts-on-brexit-what-you-need-to-know/

2019-04-04 15:42:00Z
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After Brexit, EU Will Allow U.K. Citizens To Visit Without A Visa - NPR

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The EU will offer visa exemptions to U.K. travelers, even if Brexit takes place without a deal. But the law would require the U.K. to offer reciprocal visa-free travel to all EU nations. Here, customs signs are seen in London's Stansted airport. Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images hide caption

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Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images

With the U.K. poised to leave the European Union, one basic question has loomed over the complicated debates over soft borders and no-deal exits: After Brexit, would Brits be forced to get a visa to visit the EU? On Thursday, the EU Parliament gave its answer: "No."

The EU policy requires full reciprocation from the U.K. government — meaning that if citizens of one or more EU countries are required to get a visa to visit Britain, the EU will reinstate visa requirements for U.K. citizens.

The EU Parliament voted 502-81 to approve the visa exemption proposal, putting the U.K. in the same category as more than 60 other countries — including the U.S. — whose citizens do not need to secure a visa before short-term visits. The exemption does not confer the right to work in the EU.

The plan was approved as EU representatives work to get policies in place for a wide range of possible outcomes from the British government's tortured attempts to extricate itself from the EU.

"This is an important step for guaranteeing visa-free travel between EU and U.K. after Brexit, especially in case of no deal," said Bulgarian Parliament member Sergei Stanishev, who advocated for the rule.

The EU's new law still needs the EU Council's official approval. But an EU press officer tells NPR that it "will be in place in time for the scenario of a no-deal Brexit on 12 April."

While a reciprocated deal would ensure people are able to travel with only minimal paperwork, the EU implied that it might be tougher to bring pets along for the ride.

"As regards pets, they will still be allowed to travel, but the conditions will change since new controls will have to be carried out at the EU's borders with the U.K.," said Jyrki Katainen, an EU Commission vice president whose purview includes health and food safety.

With Brexit debates still sharply dividing lawmakers in the U.K. Parliament nearly three years after a public referendum, the EU plan does not set a specific date for taking effect. Instead, it's predicated on the U.K. leaving the union.

"The legislation will apply from the day following the U.K.'s withdrawal from the European Union," the EU Parliament says. "From that date, U.K. nationals who are British citizens will not be required to get a visa for stays in the EU of up to 90 days in any 180-day period."

In addition to the visa question, the EU said Thursday it's also preparing contingency plans for other essential logistical operations, from ensuring the supply of medicines to food safety and agricultural standards.

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2019-04-04 13:42:00Z
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Why Brexit, or Britain's exit from European Union, is so important but so tough to finish - USA TODAY

Kim Hjelmgaard USA TODAY

Published 9:27 AM EDT Apr 4, 2019

British Prime Minister Theresa May and the opposition Labour Party are holding meetings this week to try to "break the logjam" over Britain's European Union exit – or Brexit. Here's a recap about what you need to know about Britain leaving the EU. 

Brexit: Why is it called that?

It may sound like a breakfast cereal but the word "Brexit" is a combination of the words "British" and "exit." It was first coined by The Economist magazine in 2012 and emerged following Greece's potential departure from the EU as it struggled with a heavy government debt load. "Grexit" never happened, but it inspired the British abbreviation. 

What is the EU?

It's a trade and monetary club, essentially, that enables its member nations to send goods, services and people across the bloc's collective borders with minimal friction. The EU was founded in 1948 in the aftermath of World War II to promote stability and economic cooperation among countries that had fought two major wars. Today, the EU is comprised of 28 countries – 19 of which use the euro currency – and it has more than 500 million citizens who are entitled to live and work in any other EU country.

Brexit: UK Brexit chief says Theresa May not offering a 'blank check' to opposition

May's offer: Theresa May’s EU Brexit deal rejected by Parliament a third time

Why is Brexit happening?

Former British Prime Minister David Cameron called the 2016 public vote on EU membership to appease right-wing, Euro-skeptic members of his ruling Conservative Party who had long agitated to leave the EU. They viewed it as a threat to Britain's sovereignty. Cameron believed the national referendum would easily reconfirm Britain's EU membership. He badly miscalculated. "Leave" won 52% to 48% over "Remain."

Why is it taking so long?

There is no easy answer to this one. However, it can be boiled down to the fact that while Britain's electorate narrowly opted to discard decades of EU membership – it joined in 1973, when the EU was known as the the European Economic Community, or EEC – the majority of British lawmakers don't feel it is in the best interests of the country. The delay is also a result of Britain and the EU not being equal negotiating partners. The EU has the final say on all Brexit matters. May spent almost three years negotiating an exit arrangement that was acceptable to the EU's 27 other leaders. Many lawmakers don't like it, but have been unable to agree on what kind of deal they want instead. 

Brexit was originally scheduled for March 29.

Parliament has rejected May's deal three times already. 

What's so bad about May's deal?

Critical issues accompanying the country's EU divorce, such as how much Britain will need to pay to leave the bloc (about $50 billion), and what rights EU nationals in Britain will have after the separation (similar to what they have now, but they'll need to prove they are not a burden on the state) have proven less controversial with British lawmakers. The deal has fallen afoul of parliamentarians over the thorny question of the land border between Northern Ireland (part of Britain) and Ireland (part of the EU).

Years of EU-facilitated friction-less trade and travel across this border is viewed as a key cog in ensuring peace between the Irish Catholic and British Protestant communities in Northern Ireland. It underpins the Good Friday Agreement, the 1998 peace deal between the British and Irish governments and political parties in Northern Ireland.

The EU and May have signed off on a temporary measure, known as the "backstop," to keep this border open while Britain and the bloc negotiate a post-Brexit trade deal. Lawmakers are concerned that the "backstop" runs the risk of becoming permanent, a scenario that would, they fear, effectively keep Britain tethered to the EU indefinitely.  

May: Britain's Theresa May offers to step down to get Brexit deal passed

What happens if there's a 'no-deal' Brexit?

In short, Britain leaves the EU anyway because that is the default legal position. The EU has given Britain until April 12 to come up with a plan that is acceptable to lawmakers. If an agreement is not made by that date, Britain will leave the EU, only there could be considerable chaos because years of EU legislation that has covered everything from Britain's transportation policies to public health will more or less vanish overnight. 

About 3.7 million non-British EU nationals, or 6% of the population, live in Britain and 1.2 million people born in Britain live in the 27 other EU countries. In the event of a "no-deal" Brexit, these nationals would have no formal legal status or working and residence rights. Business leaders have warned a "no-deal" Brexit would badly hurt commerce. There are also concerns about shortages of food and medical supplies. 

More: 'Bewildering, dire, disastrous': Queen has a Brexit escape plan

What's happening now?

In recent days, lawmakers have voted on a range of Brexit alternatives in an attempt to find a compromise solution. These have included a "softer" form of Brexit that would allow Britain to keep closer trading ties to the EU and revoking Brexit altogether.

All the options have been voted down. 

May, from the ruling Conservative Party, said Tuesday that the country needed "national unity to deliver the national interest" and offered to hold talks with opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn in an attempt to find a compromise solution.

"This debate, this division, cannot drag on much longer," May said in a statement from 10 Downing Street, her official residence. The EU has scheduled an emergency summit in Brussels for April 10, two days before Britain's new Brexit deadline.

Ahead of that it's possible May could call a fourth vote on her EU exit deal. 

Lawmakers are also considering adopting legislation that would force May to seek a further delay from the EU aimed at preventing a "no-deal" Brexit on April 12.

More: Theresa May’s EU Brexit deal rejected by Parliament a third time

Wait, didn't May already resign?

Kind of. 

After May's EU exit deal was rejected the second time she vowed to quit if lawmakers would approve it in the third vote. They didn't. She's still Britain's prime minister, although unlike in the United States, Britain does not elect a leader but a party. 

That means that if May does step down, her Conservative Party will still be in power as long as it can agree on who should replace her. If it can't, there will be an election. 

More: Britain's Theresa May offers to step down to get Brexit deal passed

May is Britain's second female prime minister after Margaret Thatcher (1979-90) and made a name for herself while serving in Cameron's Cabinet as home secretary. In that role, she took a strict line on drug policy, immigration and fighting terrorism. 

So when does Brexit end?

Nobody knows. 

And while the term "Brexit" is a noun, it has morphed into something of a verb that is nothing if not a seemingly never-ending exercise in a political process. 

Even if May's deal passes in a fourth vote, the Brexit process wouldn't be over.

The deal she is trying to get through Parliament is just a transition-period arrangement. Her successor would need to negotiate – depending on how "soft" or "hard" a Brexit deal emerges – post-EU trade deals and other aspects of British legislation pertaining to life outside the bloc from environmental protections to human rights. 

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https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2019/04/04/brexit-what-britain-leaving-eu-means-and-what-happens-next-theresa-may/3341886002/

2019-04-04 10:36:00Z
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