BREXIT – Brussels Summit | May´s Brexit fate hangs on a knife edge

Image Credit: Creative Commons

Theresa May will make a last ditch plea to European Union leaders for a postponement to Brexit and try to persuade the other 27 countries to delay the UK’s exit beyond 29 March albeit “a matter of great personal regret”. Meanwhile, Jeremy Corbyn is also coincidentally due in Brussels for separate Brexit talks. The worry is that European Council President Donald Tusk has already said he believed the EU would agree to a short extension, but this would only be if Mrs May’s deal is signed off by MPs next week. While another EU summit could be called in an emergency if needed, he said.  

Mr Tusk went on to say that the “question remains open” as to how long a delay the other EU leaders would support. The upshot is that if May cant get parliamentary support for the third “meaningful vote” (if she can get it passed Speaker, Burcow) then there will be no extension to Article 50 and the UK will come bouncing out of the EU without a single concession and no real plan. The knock-on effect could well knee-jerk the economy and cause an unwelcome mini-recession.