DONALD TUSK FLOATS LONG BREXIT DELAY BEFORE SUMMIT

BRUSSELS — European Union leaders will consider pressing Britain to delay Brexit by at least a year to find a way through its domestic deadlock, the chair of next week’s EU summit said on Thursday.

“I will appeal to the EU27 to be open to a long extension if the UK finds it necessary to rethink its Brexit strategy and build consensus around it,” European Council President Donald Tusk said.

A senior EU official said Tusk believed Britain would, if May fails to avoid a third parliamentary defeat next week for the Brexit deal she has negotiated with Brussels, need at least a year and possibly much longer to find a national consensus on how - and indeed whether — it wants to quit the bloc. Such an extension, which would depend on May lodging such a request, would require Britain to elect members of the European Parliament when all states hold votes on May 23-26, the senior official said. It would require unanimous support among the 27 other member states, whose positions are so far unclear.

In the run-up to the two-day summit, Tusk will travel to meet leaders including, on Monday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, and, on Tuesday, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar.

A number of leading EU figures have been calling for the bloc to refuse any extension beyond the May elections, or at the latest beyond July 2 when the new EU legislature convenes. Macron has voiced doubts about a longer extension, while Merkel has appeared more open to giving Britain time. Tusk, however, while hoping May can win lawmakers’ support for her Brexit deal before the summit, believes a short extension would achieve little and is urging leaders not to close down options to give Britain more time. That could include holding a general election or a new referendum on EU membership. —