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The European council president, to quell “speculation”, disclosed that, during private talks with the prime minister at a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, he had walked through the legal process that would need to be followed to delay Brexit.
Tusk said it was not the EU’s “plan” to extend the two-year negotiation but that it was now evident to him that it was the “rational solution” in light of the prime minister’s failure to corral a majority behind the deal.
Shortly after Tusk spoke at a press conference together with the European commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, at the end of the first EU-League of Arab states summit, May said they had had a good meeting but insisted that she remained opposed to any delay.
“An extension to article 50, a delay in this process, doesn’t deliver a decision in parliament, it doesn’t deliver a deal,” she said at a separate press conference. “All it does is precisely what the word ‘delay’ says. Any extension of article 50 isn’t addressing the issues.
“We have it within our grasp. I’ve had a real sense from the meetings I’ve had here and the conversations I’ve had in recent days that we can achieve that deal. [...]
Remarks by President Donald Tusk at the press conference after the EU-LAS summit in Egypt
On Brexit:
In order to put an end to speculations, I can first of all say that Prime Minister May and I discussed yesterday a lot of issues, including the legal and procedural context of a potential extension. For me it's absolutely clear that if there is no majority in the House of Commons to approve a deal. We will face an alternative: chaotic Brexit or extension. The less time there is until the 29th of March, the greater the likelihood of an extension and this is an objective fact, not our intention, not our plan, but an objective fact. I believe that in this situation we are in, an extension would be a rational solution, but Prime Minister May still believes that she is able to avoid this scenario. I can assure you, and I did it also yesterday in my meeting with Prime Minister May, that no matter in which scenario we will be, the 27 will show maximum understanding and goodwill.