Brexit: Deadlocked Britain faces further year in Europe

UK faces another year in the EU if MPs refuse to approve central part of Theresa May’s deal.

Brexit activists outside parliament. Picture: AFP.

Britain faces another year in the European Union if MPs refuse to approve a central part of Theresa May’s deal during an emergency sitting of parliament tomorrow (AEDT).

On the date the country was due to leave the bloc, the Commons will be asked to vote in favour of a stripped-down version of the deal, consisting only of the withdrawal agreement.

Approving this is an essential condition set by the EU for a short extension of the Article 50 process.

However, as protesters led by Nigel Farage gather outside parliament, there seems little chance that the vote will succeed, with Jeremy Corbyn and the DUP both rejecting the idea.

EU leaders are preparing to force Britain either to accept a delay lasting as long as a year at a special summit on April 10 or crash out without agreement, senior Brussels officials say.

Preparations for the UK to take part in European parliament elections on May 23, a condition of remaining in the bloc to avoid a no-deal, will be stepped up tomorrow. Returning officers are being placed on standby across the country.

Officials from the Cabinet Office and Electoral Commission will also run through plans for the elections at a Whitehall meeting.

The prospect of fighting the elections is something that MPs from all main parties have been desperate to avoid, fearing the impact of another divisive Brexit campaign on the country. Mrs May will try to shift responsibility for Britain having to remain in the EU for up to a year on to opponents. Her hopes of securing victory for the entire deal in a third meaningful vote were dashed by the DUP late on Wednesday night.

“For two hours it looked like we were finally getting there,” a Downing Street source said of the momentum towards the deal after her announcement that she would stand down if it were passed.

Although talks with the DUP continued on Thursday, it became clear by lunchtime that Mrs May had no chance of passing the whole deal in a third vote.

Instead she took the decision to split it, asking MPs to vote only on the divorce element — the withdrawal agreement — and not the political declaration on the future relationship. Minsters say that if it passes it will meet the EU conditions for a short extension so that Britain can leave on May 22, while allowing the final shape of Brexit to be determined at a later date.

They point out that Labour has previously said that it accepts the agreement is necessary in whatever form of Brexit it advocates. Mr Corbyn nevertheless rejected Mrs May’s appeal to back it after a 20-minute conversation last night. “Jeremy made clear Labour will not agree a blindfold Brexit to force through Theresa May’s damaging deal, which would leave the next Tory party leader free to rip up essential rights and protections and undermine jobs and living standards,” a spokeswoman said.

On Monday MPs will have another chance to take control of the Commons agenda. Sir Oliver Letwin, the Tory grandee behind the scheme, wants the Commons to coalesce around one of the options that came closer to a majority in Wednesday’s indicative votes.

Plans for a full customs union and single market membership of the EU, known as Common Market 2.0, appeared to be gaining the most additional support among MPs. The SNP confirmed that it was in talks for its 35 MPs to back the proposal. Supporters of the plan also held talks with the DUP, which abstained in the first round of voting on Wednesday.

If Mrs May’s attempt to pass the withdrawal agreement fails, the government will have little room left for manoeuvre. Under the Speaker’s rule that the same motion cannot be voted on twice in the same session of parliament, she would not be allowed to hold a third meaningful vote or another vote on the withdrawal agreement.

One radical solution would be to prorogue parliament, starting a new parliamentary session in which Mrs May could hold fresh votes on the deal.

At the summit in Brussels on April 10, EU leaders will face a choice between a no-deal Brexit or giving Britain a long extension. Senior Brussels officials think that the EU will offer a long extension, perhaps appealing over the prime minister’s head to MPs. Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, is pushing for a long delay on the condition that Britain takes part in European elections and holds a second referendum.

After a summit last week, negotiations over an extension were taken away from EU ambassadors and handed to “sherpas”, aides to European heads of state and governments who prepare for international meetings.

Mr Farage, the former Ukip leader, is due to hold a rally outside parliament at 4pm on Friday local time (3am Saturday AEDT) as the culmination of a 365km two-week Brexit march from Sunderland to Westminster.

The Times