Brexit: EU Leaders ‘Agree Delay Until October 31’
EU sources have confirmed that there will be an article 50 extension to 31 October with a review of British cooperation to determine whether there should be an earlier exit on 30 June – the date Theresa May originally asked for.
The June “break clause” has been put in to appease France, as the president, Emmanuel Macron, wanted assurances that the UK would conduct European elections properly.
A Brexit delay beyond EU parliament elections scheduled on May 23-26 would force Britain to participate in the vote and elect representatives to the EU assembly – an option May wants to avoid but which could become inevitable if the British parliament fails to ratify a withdrawal deal in coming weeks.
British participation could change the political balance in the next European legislature, EU officials fear, as Britons are seen electing strongly Eurosceptic lawmakers, boosting already growing numbers of nationalists who seek to weaken the bloc.
Yet Britain’s Labour party, if it fields candidates, could boost the weight of the socialist grouping in the EU assembly, potentially allowing the centre-left to gain a majority.
Polls in the remaining 27 EU countries currently predict the centre-right will win most seats in the next EU parliament – so when Britain and its MEPs leave the EU, the majority in the European assembly could change.
That raises uncertainty over the next executive commission, which must be approved by European lawmakers. As a result, EU officials are considering extending the mandate of the existing executive led by Jean-Claude Juncker beyond its term which expires at end of October, the senior official said.
This extension, which would be limited to a few months, would avoid the risk that a changed power balance in the EU parliament after Brexit could raise doubt about the legitimacy of the new executive, the official said.
