UK Parliament Votes to Ask EU for Brexit Delay

The United Kingdom Parliament voted on March 14 to seek a delay of the U.K.’s withdrawal from the European Union. The EU still has to approve the extension of Article 50, and the time frame of the departure is still to be determined, though it may be lengthy if the U.K. does not adopt the deal it negotiated with the EU, as appears likely after it failed twice in the U.K. Parliament in recent months.

According to a report from the BBC, Prime Minister Theresa May will next schedule by March 14 a third vote on whether to approve a deal the U.K. negotiated with the EU, though motions to approve that same deal have already failed twice by large margins. If the deal is accepted, Brexit could be delayed by three months until June 30, the report said. If not, May will seek a longer extension, the BBC said. May said she would travel to an EU summit on March 21 for talks on the delay, the report said.

In a tweet before the vote, EU Council President Donald Tusk said he would “appeal to the EU27 to be open to a long extension if the UK finds it necessary to rethink its #Brexit strategy and build consensus around it.” On the other hand, other statements from EU negotiators and member states have “suggested that there is a willingness to agree to an extension of the Article 50 period if the UK requests this, but provided it is for a specific, stated purpose,” according to an explainer posted ahead of the vote by the U.K. House of Commons.

Prime Minister May’s office said it is still preparing for a no-deal Brexit, according to the BBC report. May has said that, despite the March 13 vote against leaving with no deal, that would be the consequence if no transition deal is actually approved before the U.K. leaves the EU (see 1903130070). The U.K.'s withdrawal from the EU is currently set to take effect March 29.

Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn called for a new referendum on Brexit after the vote, despite reports that he instructed Labour Party members to vote against a failed motion in Parliament for a new public vote. “Tonight I reiterate our conviction that a deal can be agreed based on our alternative plan that can command support across the House,” he said in a statement. “And I also reiterate our support for a public vote not as political point-scoring but as a realistic option to break the deadlock.