As Theresa May brings her one-day tour of European capitals to an end, we’re finishing our live coverage for Tuesday.
Aside from clocking up more air miles, the prime minister will be hoping she’s laid some groundwork with the two biggest players in the room at Wednesday’s all-important EU summit.
We’ll be back to cover the twists and turns on Wednesday, when European leaders discuss another delay to Brexit.
Theresa May has wrapped up her meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, Downing Street has confirmed.
“Following the Prime Minister’s letter to Donald Tusk last week, the leaders discussed the UK’s request for an extension of Article 50 to June 30th, with the option to bring this forward if a deal is ratified earlier,” a spokesman for May said.
He added that May “updated President Macron on the ongoing talks with the Opposition to agree a way forward that respects the result of the 2016 referendum.
“They also discussed upcoming European Parliamentary elections with the PM saying that the government was working very hard to avoid the need for the UK to take part.”
While May will be keen to push for an extension until her proposed date of June 30, all signs from Brussels are pointing to a much longer delay, which Britain could bring to an early end if it passes the Withdrawal Agreement.
CNN has seen a leaked copy of the EU’s draft conclusions from Wednesday’s summit, which are in line with Donald Tusk’s letter urging the EU to consider a long and flexible extension.
The draft, which will be the basis of discussions at tomorrow’s meeting, leaves the length of the proposed extension to be decided at the meeting. A spokesman for French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday that an extension of up to a year would be “too long.”
The document also includes wording intended to ensure Britain would not interfere with the EU’s objectives while it was still a member – a concern prompted by some hardline Brexiteers in Theresa May’s Conservative Party.
EU leaders should consider a long but flexible delay to Brexit, Donald Tusk, the President of the EU Council, has said in his invitation letter to the attendees at Wednesday’s summit.
“I trust that we will continue to do our utmost” to avoid a no-deal Brexit, Tusk writes. But he reflected Europe’s pessimism about the prospect of Theresa May passing her Withdrawal Agreement through the House of Commons – and said a long delay was therefore the best course.
“This is why I believe we should also discuss an alternative, longer extension,” he adds. May has formally requested a delay until June 30, but Tusk appears to be resistant to this timing. He adds that a “flexible extension,” which could be terminated when May passes a deal, is an option – but reiterates that the Withdrawal Agreement is not open for re-negotiation.
Tusk also appeared to push back against the apparent wishes of France and other states to strip back Britain’s powers while they remained in the EU.
“The UK would have to maintain its sincere cooperation also during this crucial period, in a manner that reflects its situation as a departing member state,” he writes. “We should remember, however, that the United Kingdom will remain a member state with full rights and obligations. And, in any event, the UK can revoke Article 50 at any time, as stated by the European Court of Justice.”
He concludes with an amicable call to the 27 remaining EU leaders. “Whatever course of action is taken, it must not be influenced by negative emotions,” Tusk writes. “We should treat the UK with the highest respect, as we want to remain friends and close partners, and as we will still need to agree on our future relations. Neither side should be allowed to feel humiliated at any stage in this difficult process.”
Theresa May has arrived in Paris and been greeted by Emmanuel Macron, the second European leader she’s stopped in on during her whistle-stop tour of Europe.
Macron is expected to prove a more difficult adversary than Angela Merkel, whom May met in Berlin earlier. The French President has so far proven unsympathetic to Britain’s requests for Brexit extensions, and he’ll be expected to play a similar role in Wednesday’s summit.
The President’s spokesman signaled that France would back a delay – but not without conditions.
“One year would be too long,” the spokesman said. He also made clear that France would want Britain’s powers in the EU to be severely limited during an extension period, to ensure pro-Brexit lawmakers in Brussels cannot wreck havoc with the bloc’s plans.
Lawmakers have voted to approve Theresa May’s request of a Brexit extension until June 30, by a sizable majority.
The vote passed by 420 votes to 110 in the House of Commons. But the number of “no” voters – most of whom were Conservatives – is notable, and reflects the sizable opposition from hardliners within May’s own party to her plan to delay Brexit again.
While the anticipated approval is a boost for May, the actual end-date of the extension will be decided by European leaders at Wednesday’s summit.
A Conservative backbencher has made an extraordinary appeal to Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel, urging the European leaders to undermine Theresa May’s government by rejecting her request for another Brexit extension.
“Please, put us out of our misery now, as this House and this Government appear incapable of doing,” Tim Loughton said during a debate in the House of Commons. “At tomorrow’s EU Council, please vote against any further extensions to Article 50 and oblige the UK to leave the EU on Friday on WTO terms.”
“You previously said you would only honor any application for an extension if there was a credible reason so to do. That credible reason does not not exist,” he added.
His plea won’t go down well with his party’s leader. If fulfilled, it would send the UK crashing out of the EU on Friday – and could spell the end of Theresa May’s time in power.
Loughton also echoed threats made by Brexiteers including Jacob Rees-Mogg, who said the UK should be “as difficult as possible” if it stayed in the EU for an extended period of time.
“If the EU elections go ahead, it is highly likely the UK will elect an army of Nigel Farage mini-me’s, who I am afraid will wreak havoc with the European Parliament and wreck your calculations about the balance of power within the EU,” he said.
Several leaders, including Macron, are clearly keen to guard against such a prospect. An Élysée spokesperson earlier indicated that Britain may see some of its powers stripped if it were granted a length delay.
Another round of “constructive” cross-party Brexit negotiations has come to a close with still no sign of a breakthrough.
Labour and Downing Street said talks will continue after the European Council summit on Wednesday – making it all but certain that Theresa May will arrive at the emergency meeting without any concrete cross-party plan.
“We’ve had really constructive discussions today and covered a number of issues in great detail,” Shadow Business Secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey said after leaving the talks at the Cabinet Office.
“Constructive” has becoming something of a buzzword when it comes to describing the Brexit discussions – and it’s usually followed by an admission that the two sides remain some way apart.
Environment Secretary Michael Gove was singing from the same hymn sheet after leaving Tuesday’s conversations, calling the conversations – wait for it – “constructive,” before adding: “There are number of issues where we differ, but we are anxious to ensure that we can carry on with this process.”
A Downing Street spokesperson added: “We remain completely committed to delivering on Brexit, with both sides working hard to agreeing a way forward, appreciating the urgency in order to avoid European elections.”
The lack of an agreement isn’t helpful for May, who would have preferred to present other EU leaders with a done deal. But the fact that everyone is sounding positive makes it harder for the EU to deny the request for a Brexit delay. The question, it seems, will be for how long, and with what conditions.
France considers a one-year extension to Brexit to be “too long,” a spokesman for Emmanuel Macron has said, ahead of the French President’s meeting with Theresa May on Tuesday.
A delay until March 31, 2019 was floated during last month’s EU Council summit, but was ultimately not pursued – and France appears set to block such a plan were it to be raised again.
The spokesman reiterated that the Withdrawal Agreement between May and the EU cannot be revisited, and also said Britain would need to accept “strict conditions” if it is to receive a lengthy Brexit delay.
He raised concerns over whether the UK would interfere in the running of the EU during an extension period. “The EU must keep functioning and any Brexit delay must preserve the functioning of the EU,” he said.
“It’s logical that when you’re a member looking to leave you can’t build with the others,” the spokesman went on, adding that it would “make sense” for Britain to be excluded from the process of setting the EU budget or choosing the next President of the European Commission.
Those conditions would placate fears stoked by hardline Conservative Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg, who tweeted last week that Britain “should be as difficult as possible” within the bloc if granted a long delay.
“In the event of a long extension the (remaining) 27 could demand reviews to look at whether the UK is honoring its commitments not to block the EU’s decision-making,” the Élysée spokesman said.
Those tough words indicate that Macron will again prove a holdout in Europe’s discussions over a second Brexit extension. The French leader seemed more willing than most to allow Britain to crash out with no deal in March.
But Macron’s spokesman was keen to push back on the idea that he is being unfair to Theresa May.
“France being portrayed as a bad cop is not correct. We are looking for solutions but we need to stay firm,” the spokesman said.
Brexit complacency in London is about to collide with Brexit frustration in Brussels.
Ever since Theresa May requested another Article 50 extension last week, its approval has largely been seen in Westminster as a given (though opinions vary as to how long it might be).
Despite tough words from French President Emmanuel Macron in recent days, the fact that EU leaders offered a generous extension last time, going in some respects against the will of the President of the EU Council, has given rise to a kind of extension complacency in London.
The UK missed the first Brexit deadline when it voted for a third time against Theresa May’s Brexit deal on March 29, the day that the UK was initially scheduled to leave the EU.
Missing Brexit day last month has done something to thinking in London. Miss one deadline, and suddenly missing the next two or three becomes a moot point.
The thinking is not the same in Brussels. It should never be forgotten that all the EU has ever wanted is certainty. That is why its preferred option has been May’s deal being approved.
The fact that the UK keeps voting down the Withdrawal Agreement and agreeing on nothing in the House of Commons is causing immense frustration beyond London.
So, while it remains true that there is very little political will for a no-deal Brexit in any corner of Europe, it should be in the minds of all watching this summit that Friday is still slated to be no-deal day.
The EU Council doesn’t meet until 6pm tomorrow. Everyone is tired of Brexit and bored of talking about it. And if we’ve learnt anything over the past three years, it’s that only a fool tries to predict anything when it comes to Brexit.
Campaigners pushing for a second Brexit referendum have received a significant boost from an unlikely source.
Huw Merriman, a Conservative MP and private secretary to Chancellor Philip Hammond, has called for a second, confirmatory referendum on Theresa May’s Brexit deal to get it over the line in Parliament – and says he expects to lose his job over the stance.
Appearing at a rally organized by the People’s Vote campaign in London on Tuesday, Merriman – who supports May’s Withdrawal Agreement – said he has “reluctantly” come to the conclusion that the only way to salvage the plan is by putting it back to the public.
“I have fiercely opposed a second referendum,” he said at the event, according to the Press Association.
Merriman earlier told BBC Radio 4 that it was “likely” he would lose his post. But he noted that Conservative MPs had been granted a free vote on the issue during the two rounds of indicative votes on alternative Brexit options – a contradiction he labelled “politics of the madhouse.”
What this means: A handful of Conservative backbenchers have backed a second referendum, and 15 voted for one during the second round of indicative votes. But an aide to the Chancellor publicly calling for another vote is a significant development.
Until now, the push for a so-called People’s Vote has been led by Remain-backing MPs. Merriman’s move suggests a new bloc of Conservatives supportive of May’s plan could emerge as another lobby in favor of the approach.
Whether or not he loses his job is another significant question. Merriman is practically daring May to sack him – and every moment he remains in his post will enrage hardline backbenchers in the Conservative party more.
But his boss, Philip Hammond, has previously said that a second vote is a “coherent” proposition. If Merriman stays, it could be read as another sign that a second referendum is not being viewed in government as the radical plan it once was.
While Theresa May sat down with Angela Merkel in Berlin, Germany’s liberal opposition party the FDP attempted to sway her thinking on Brexit.
“Dear Theresa May: Just do it. Stop Brexit,” was the party’s message, written on the side of a van that drove past the German Chancellery as the two leaders met. The sign urged May to “Make the most of Europe’s opportunities.”
Merkel’s spokesman has tweeted a picture from inside the meeting between the two leaders. The talks were billed as a “working lunch” by Downing Street, though the image suggests May might have left with an empty stomach.
The prime minister has already left Berlin and is heading to Paris, where French President Emmanuel Macron – a key holdout so far on Britain’s requests for an extension – is likely to give her a rougher ride than Merkel.
By the end of the day, May will hope to have sounded out Europe’s two key players, ahead of the all-important EU Council summit on Wednesday.
While Theresa May gallivants across Europe in search of clarity over her proposed Brexit extension, members of her cabinet are sitting down for another round of talks with the opposition Labour party.
The Government is represented in Tuesday’s negotiations by a large group of ministers. Chancellor Philip Hammond, May’s de facto deputy David Lidington, Brexit Minister Stephen Barclay, Business Minister Greg Clark, Environment Minister Michael Gove, and Chief Whip Julian Smith are involved in the conversations, a Downing Street spokesperson said.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is represented by Shadow Brexit secretary Kier Starmer and Shadow chancellor John McDonnell, as well as Gove’s counterpart Sue Hayman and Clark’s opposite number, Rebecca Long-Bailey.
Talks between the two sides have so far failed to produce a breakthrough.
Labour’s negotiating team is keen to ensure that any agreement reached with the government cannot be overturned by a new prime minister in future.
“Some of that discussion that will take place will be about how any deal is secure for the long term and how best to secure that either through domestic legislation or treaty, McDonnell told reporters on Tuesday, according to the Press Association.
The UK prime minister isn’t wasting time on her whistle-stop tour of European capitals. Theresa May has already departed Berlin, following a brief meeting with Angela Merkel, which featured a somewhat awkward arrival (see below).
The two leaders sat down for a working lunch, during which May “outlined the steps the government is taking to bring the Brexit process to a successful conclusion,” according to a Downing Street spokesperson.
The PM also updated Merkel on the ongoing discussions with the opposition Labour party.
She’s now on her way to Paris, where she will hold similar talks with French President Emmanuel Macron.
That will be another key meeting – Macron was the major opponent to granting Britain a Brexit extension at last month’s European Council summit, and he’s expected to pursue a similarly hard line during Wednesday’s discussions.
Merkel, meanwhile, will be talking with EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Tuesday evening, as conversations continue ahead of Wednesday’s crunch summit.
British Prime Minister Theresa May showed up a few minutes early for her talks with Angela Merkel at the Chancellery in Berlin on Tuesday.
Merkel wasn’t ready, and so was not there to pose for the traditional handshake photo opportunity in front of the world’s press.
May went straight in – possibly keen to avoid being locked in the car like last time – but was left hanging around the lobby until Merkel arrived and steered her back outside to pose for photos.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker will speak to Angela Merkel later on Tuesday, after the German chancellor has concluded talks with UK PM Theresa May.
Alexander Winterstein, a spokesperson for the European Commission, said:
May is in Berlin on Tuesday lunchtime to seek Merkel’s views on a further Brexit extension request. The visit comes ahead of an emergency meeting of the EU27 on Wednesday, at which May’s plea for more time to resolve the Brexit conundrum will be formally considered.
Theresa May will head back to Brussels again on Wednesday in an attempt to secure a further extension to the Brexit process from the European Union.
She finds herself in a similar predicament to the last time she visited, having recently lost yet another Withdrawal Agreement vote in the UK House of Commons, and facing a deadlocked Parliament.
But CNN’s international diplomatic editor Nic Robertson says there is a silver lining, because she has reached out across party lines and is now in technical discussions with the opposition Labour Party.
It’s a tricky position for May to be in, given that the bloc has heard these promises before – numerous times over the last few years – Robertson points out, adding it’s “going to be a tough message to sell.”
Theresa May has arrived in Berlin for talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
CNN’s Atika Shubert says if Germany and the European Union is going to back a Brexit extension, that support will come with conditions attached.
“For Angela Merkel, for her party, for a lot of the lawmakers here, [they] are saying ‘What will be different? How can we guarantee that Brexit is actually going to go ahead in some way?”
Shubert says this is the question that Merkel will be posing to May during their discussions.
As things stand, the UK remains on track to depart the European Union on Friday.
The EU will ultimately dictate the length and conditions of any extension to Article 50 at an emergency summit on Wednesday.
Ahead of the council meeting, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier spoke to reporters in Luxembourg.
Here are the big takeaways:
Conservative Member of Parliament Daniel Kawczynski resigned from the Eurosceptic European Research Group (ERG) on Monday night, claiming a “hardcore element of ‘Unicorn’ dreamers” is “endangering Brexit.”
