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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2019/apr/11/may-to-address-commons-after-eu-sets-october-brexit-deadline-politics-live
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| May to address Commons after EU sets October Brexit deadline – Politics live | May to address Commons after EU sets October Brexit deadline – Politics live |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| A confusing contribution from Donald Trump to the Brexit discussions. | |
| Too bad that the European Union is being so tough on the United Kingdom and Brexit. The E.U. is likewise a brutal trading partner with the United States, which will change. Sometimes in life you have to let people breathe before it all comes back to bite you! | |
| A question from a reader: | |
| Will there will be time to arrange and hold a second referendum? If so what would the timetable be for such an eventuality? | |
| That’s a very good question, John, thanks. | |
| A referendum on the Brexit deal would take at least six months to organise legally, constitutional experts told our Brexit correspondent Lisa O’Carroll last year, which would mean there is enough time – just. | |
| Lewis Goodall from Sky News, spoke to the Electoral Commission yesterday who confirmed this was the case. | |
| If October 31st is the new Brexit date then, according to what the @ElectoralCommUK told me last week, there is *just* enough time for a referendum, if parliament were so minded. | |
| Here is the full text of Theresa May’s statement at her press conference in the early hours of this morning. | |
| I have just met with Donald Tusk, the president of the European council, where I agreed an extension to the Brexit process to the end of October at the latest. | |
| I continue to believe we need to leave the EU, with a deal, as soon as possible. And vitally, the EU have agreed that the extension can be terminated when the withdrawal agreement has been ratified — which was my key request of my fellow leaders. | |
| For example, this means that, if we are able to pass a deal in the first three weeks of May, we will not have to take part in European elections and will officially leave the EU on Saturday, 1st June. | |
| During the course of the extension, the European council is clear that the UK will continue to hold full membership rights, as well as its obligations. | |
| As I said in the room tonight, there is only a single tier of EU membership, with no conditionality attached beyond existing treaty obligations. | |
| Let me conclude by saying this. | |
| I know that there is huge frustration from many people that I had to request this extension. The UK should have left the EU by now and I sincerely regret the fact that I have not yet been able to persuade parliament to approve a deal which would allow the UK to leave in a smooth and orderly way. | |
| But the choices we now face are stark and the timetable is clear. | |
| So we must now press on at pace with our efforts to reach a consensus on a deal that is in the national interest. | |
| Tomorrow I will be making a statement to the House of Commons. | |
| Further talks will also take place between the government and the opposition to seek a way forward. | |
| I do not pretend the next few weeks will be easy or that there is a simple way to break the deadlock in Parliament. | |
| But we have a duty as politicians to find a way to fulfil the democratic decision of the Referendum, deliver Brexit and move our country forward. | |
| Nothing is more pressing or more vital. | |
| The news broke too late to make it onto many of the front pages (though if you see that the news is on the front pages of late editions of other papers, please tweet me!). | The news broke too late to make it onto many of the front pages (though if you see that the news is on the front pages of late editions of other papers, please tweet me!). |
| The deadline did make it onto the late edition of the Guardian. Here’s our front page: | The deadline did make it onto the late edition of the Guardian. Here’s our front page: |
| The Guardian front page, 11 April 2019: Europe listens to May and says no. Britain told leave by October 31st pic.twitter.com/rz0HbkaBAB | The Guardian front page, 11 April 2019: Europe listens to May and says no. Britain told leave by October 31st pic.twitter.com/rz0HbkaBAB |
| And the Metro’s front page deserve a special mention: | And the Metro’s front page deserve a special mention: |
| Thursday's front page:As EU dictates Britain's futureWHAT BREXITLOOKS LIKEFROM SPACE#tomorrowspaperstoday #bbcpapers #skypapers pic.twitter.com/vZ1dzsFQX4 | Thursday's front page:As EU dictates Britain's futureWHAT BREXITLOOKS LIKEFROM SPACE#tomorrowspaperstoday #bbcpapers #skypapers pic.twitter.com/vZ1dzsFQX4 |
| Here’s how the Mail and Telegraph covered the news online when it broke: | Here’s how the Mail and Telegraph covered the news online when it broke: |
| Donald Tusk said that the Brexit extension was “as flexible as he expected but also shorter than he expected. This is due to French President Emmanuel Macron who took responsibility for blocking a long Brexit delay and convincing other European Union leaders to agree to a shorter one. | Donald Tusk said that the Brexit extension was “as flexible as he expected but also shorter than he expected. This is due to French President Emmanuel Macron who took responsibility for blocking a long Brexit delay and convincing other European Union leaders to agree to a shorter one. |
| “It’s true that the majority was more in favour of a very long extension. But it was not logical in my view, and above all, it was neither good for us, nor for the UK,” he said. | “It’s true that the majority was more in favour of a very long extension. But it was not logical in my view, and above all, it was neither good for us, nor for the UK,” he said. |
| “I take responsibility for this position, I think it’s for the collective good,” the French leader added before leaving the European Council in Brussels. | “I take responsibility for this position, I think it’s for the collective good,” the French leader added before leaving the European Council in Brussels. |
| The video of Macron’s comments (in French) is below. | The video of Macron’s comments (in French) is below. |
| Déclaration d'@EmmanuelMacron à l'issue du Conseil européen extraordinaire #Brexit #EUCO #art50 pic.twitter.com/5b9COgjcv1 | Déclaration d'@EmmanuelMacron à l'issue du Conseil européen extraordinaire #Brexit #EUCO #art50 pic.twitter.com/5b9COgjcv1 |
| #EUCO on #Brexit: -Extension of article 50 granted until 31 October. -UK to organise #EUelections2019 if Withdrawal agreement not ratified by 22 May.-No reopening of the Withdrawal Agreement. -Principle of sincere cooperation will apply to UK. https://t.co/WtzR97QDcO pic.twitter.com/4JFouDo1L9 | #EUCO on #Brexit: -Extension of article 50 granted until 31 October. -UK to organise #EUelections2019 if Withdrawal agreement not ratified by 22 May.-No reopening of the Withdrawal Agreement. -Principle of sincere cooperation will apply to UK. https://t.co/WtzR97QDcO pic.twitter.com/4JFouDo1L9 |
| Good morning and welcome to the politics live blog, the morning after EU leaders met to debate whether to offer an extension to article 50 to the UK. | Good morning and welcome to the politics live blog, the morning after EU leaders met to debate whether to offer an extension to article 50 to the UK. |
| After marathon six-hour talks, EU leaders offered Theresa May an extension until 31 October, with a “review” to be conducted on 30 June. May did not need to take this deal back to parliament and was able to agree to the deal at the time, which she did. Donald Tusk, the president of the European council, said: | After marathon six-hour talks, EU leaders offered Theresa May an extension until 31 October, with a “review” to be conducted on 30 June. May did not need to take this deal back to parliament and was able to agree to the deal at the time, which she did. Donald Tusk, the president of the European council, said: |
| During this time, what happens will be in the hands of the UK. It can ratify the withdrawal agreement, and leave. It can change strategy, although not the withdrawal agreement. Or it can decide to revoke and cancel Brexit altogether. | During this time, what happens will be in the hands of the UK. It can ratify the withdrawal agreement, and leave. It can change strategy, although not the withdrawal agreement. Or it can decide to revoke and cancel Brexit altogether. |
| Speaking afterwards, Theresa May repeatedly ducked questions about her future as prime minister, after having previously said she would not accept an extension beyond 30 June. | Speaking afterwards, Theresa May repeatedly ducked questions about her future as prime minister, after having previously said she would not accept an extension beyond 30 June. |
| She simply insisted that the UK “can still leave on May 22 and not hold those European parliamentary elections” if parliament passes the withdrawal deal. | She simply insisted that the UK “can still leave on May 22 and not hold those European parliamentary elections” if parliament passes the withdrawal deal. |
| May also once again blamed MPs for being the cause of public frustration over the failure to implement Brexit. Asked whether she should apologise for the UK still being in the EU, she said: “Over the last three months I have voted three times to leave the European Union. If sufficient members of parliament had voted with me in January we would already be out of the European Union.” | May also once again blamed MPs for being the cause of public frustration over the failure to implement Brexit. Asked whether she should apologise for the UK still being in the EU, she said: “Over the last three months I have voted three times to leave the European Union. If sufficient members of parliament had voted with me in January we would already be out of the European Union.” |
| I’ll be keeping this blog ticking over until I hand it to my colleagues, if you have Brexit questions, please get in touch through the comments, via email (kate.lyons@theguardian.com) or on Twitter. | I’ll be keeping this blog ticking over until I hand it to my colleagues, if you have Brexit questions, please get in touch through the comments, via email (kate.lyons@theguardian.com) or on Twitter. |
| Thanks for reading along, especially so early in the morning, let’s get started! | Thanks for reading along, especially so early in the morning, let’s get started! |