A mere 48 hours before officially parting ways, leaders of the European Union offered to postpone Britain’s departure & give politicians a little extra time to establish the details of the divorce.
In other words, Brexit will be delayed, again.
Britain’s highly controversial split from the European Union aka Brexit will be pushed back from tomorrow (12 April) to 31 October 2019.
The additional six months comes after endless and difficult negotiations prompted Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May to request a postponement to 30 June 2019. However, the June date was deemed as an unrealistically short deadline by Europe’s leaders and the October date was offered.
This will be the second time Brexit’s conclusion is moved after the original date of 29 March 2019 was postponed earlier this year.
President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, confirmed the news on Twitter:
EU27 has agreed an extension of Art. 50. I will now meet PM @theresa_may for the UK government's agreement. #Brexit
— Charles Michel (@eucopresident) April 10, 2019
Should the UK accept the new date, Brits may be required to take part in upcoming European elections, which would likely anger Brexit supports.
There are also concerns that another delay would put pressure on May to step down as Prime Minister and allow her successor to conclude negotiations.
To sum up:
– EU imposes Oct 31 Brexit delay on UK
– Britain to take part in EU elections
– Pressure on May to quit before October to allow new leader to lead party into annual conference
– Brexiteer outrage at Britain having to elect MEPs 3yrs after referendum— Gordon Rayner (@gordonrayner) April 10, 2019
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News of a delay would come as a relief for tourists, particularly British ones, as it gives them a few more months of clarity around visas for travel around Europe, an issue that’s been long-debated by politicians.
- READ: UK visitors will not need a visa to travel to Europe
- READ: The self-inflicted pain in the UK’s rear is great for tourists
- READ: Aussies warned to make sure their visa is right for the UK
