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EU delays Brexit extension decision as France piles pressure on MPs
Source: The Guardian
EU delays Brexit extension decision as France piles pressure on MPs
Macron’s apparent support of No 10 strategy means decision won’t be made until days before UK due to leave
Daniel Boffey in Brussels
Fri 25 Oct 2019 16.09 BST
First published on Fri 25 Oct 2019 11.15 BST
The EU will delay its decision on the length of the Brexit extension until next Monday or Tuesday after France piled pressure on MPs ahead of a vote on Boris Johnson’s demand for a pre-Christmas general election.
During a meeting of EU diplomats, the French ambassador stood alone in arguing that it was not the right time to agree a three-month delay, in a move that will be welcomed in Downing Street.
Only after the vote on Monday should the EU decide to “go short, to push for ratification, or long to accommodate a general election”, the ambassador told the other member states, according to a diplomatic note.
Sources close to the French president, Emmanuel Macron, later claimed an extension was “not a given” and needed to be justified. “But we have nothing of the sort so far”, the source said. “Pressure must be maintained.”
The prevarication in Brussels, and Macron’s swing behind Johnson’s strategy for getting a deal passed, will leave the issue of an extension in doubt with as little as 48 hours to go before the UK is due to leave.
-snip-
Macron’s apparent support of No 10 strategy means decision won’t be made until days before UK due to leave
Daniel Boffey in Brussels
Fri 25 Oct 2019 16.09 BST
First published on Fri 25 Oct 2019 11.15 BST
The EU will delay its decision on the length of the Brexit extension until next Monday or Tuesday after France piled pressure on MPs ahead of a vote on Boris Johnson’s demand for a pre-Christmas general election.
During a meeting of EU diplomats, the French ambassador stood alone in arguing that it was not the right time to agree a three-month delay, in a move that will be welcomed in Downing Street.
Only after the vote on Monday should the EU decide to “go short, to push for ratification, or long to accommodate a general election”, the ambassador told the other member states, according to a diplomatic note.
Sources close to the French president, Emmanuel Macron, later claimed an extension was “not a given” and needed to be justified. “But we have nothing of the sort so far”, the source said. “Pressure must be maintained.”
The prevarication in Brussels, and Macron’s swing behind Johnson’s strategy for getting a deal passed, will leave the issue of an extension in doubt with as little as 48 hours to go before the UK is due to leave.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/oct/25/michel-barnier-eu-brexit-extension-boris-johnson-election