Prime Minister Theresa May has approached the European Council President Donald Tusk in a bid to request for a Brexit delay. However, she promised that she will not allow her country to delay the European Union (EU) departure later than June.
According to BBC News, May told her government that she was "not prepared to delay Brexit any further than 30 June." She also said MPs have "indulged themselves on Europe for too long" and it's time to hasten the process of exiting the union. Finally, the Prime Minister reportedly said she wanted to keep the United Kingdom from getting involved in the upcoming European elections.
Earlier in the day, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker raised the possibility of an emergency summit between EU leaders next week. The chiefs are expected to deliberate on whether it is best to delay Brexit amid chaos in May's government.
Juncker said the British cabinet may be struggling with the content of May's letter to Tusk, The Guardian reported. He also predicted that the European Council may not come to a decision regarding the delay of Brexit since May does not have the full support of her government yet. "As long as we don't know what Britain could say yes to, we can't reach a decision," he pointed out.
Juncker also told Germany's Deutschlandfunk radio station that the U.K. will, "in all probability" not depart from the EU on March 29. Instead, he believes an extension is more likely, with Parliament having no choice but to agree with May's deal.
On the other hand, Juncker stressed that if his predictions don't come to play and Great Britain pushes through with its nearing departure, the issue will have to be left "in the hands of God," adding that, "I think even God sometimes reaches a limit to his patience." The Commission president previously said the final word will have to come from the British Parliament and not from the EU.
Last week, May's Brexit deal was rejected by the British Parliament for the second time by 149 votes. The Prime Minister said at that time that she will push for a third vote but House of Commons Speaker John Bercow said he will block a third voting session if the deal is basically the same.
Bercow stressed the importance of substantial changes in a deal before it is approved for another voting session. He cited a ruling dated 1604 that states the government should resubmit a proposition that is "substantially" different from the two deals that were rejected earlier.
