European leaders have given U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May a new Halloween Brexit deadline, after a marathon six-hour debate in Brussels.
The extension, now set for October 31, also contains an option to leave earlier if the prime minister is able to secure the support of the British parliament for her Brexit deal, which has already been rejected three times.
“What we have agreed tonight means that we can leave the European Union before June 30. What we need is to ensure that we have an agreement in parliament, that we can get through the necessary legislation to enable us to leave. This decision enables us to do that,” May told a media conference that started after 2 a.m. local time.
If the U.K. stays in the EU past May 22, it will be legally obliged to hold elections to the European Parliament that take place on May 23. This prospect is viewed with dread by many politicians in May’s governing Conservative Party, who fear Brexit-backing voters might use the ballot to punish them for the delay.
At the same post-summit press conference last night, the president of the European Council, Donald Tusk, said his “message to British friends” was “please don’t waste this time”.
“The course of action will be entirely in the U.K.’s hands. They can still ratify the withdrawal agreement, in which case the extension can be terminated,” he added.
However, Tusk didn’t rule out a further extension if the political deadlock in London continued. “I am too old to exclude another scenario,” he said. “I think still everything is possible.”
French President Emmanuel Macron, who had maintained pressure on Britain throughout the negotiation in Brussels on Wednesday, said leaders had found “the best possible compromise” because October 31 preserved EU unity, allowed the British more time and preserved “the good functioning of the European Union”.
Speaking after the conference May repeatedly dodged questions about her future as prime minister, according to the Guardian. The BBC’s political editor, Laura Kuenssberg, said one government minister had told her that the delay could lead to a Conservative Party leadership contest after Easter, with potentially a new party leader by June.
Before EU officials made their decision May had insisted she was committed to cross-party talks with the Labour Party, which are due to continue today.
Brexit minister Kwasi Kwarteng said this morning that the chances of getting the deal through parliament were “improving” and that “people are beginning to see a deal is the way out of the EU”.
May is set to give a formal statement about the extension later on Thursday afternoon in the House of Commons.
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