May asks for Brexit delay till June 30

LONDON — Exactly 1,000 days after Britain voted to leave the European Union, and nine days before it is scheduled to walk out the door, Prime Minister Theresa May hit the pause button Wednesday, asking the bloc to postpone the U.K.’s departure until June 30.

EU leaders will grant the extension only if May can win the U.K. Parliament’s approval next week for her twice-rejected Brexit deal. Otherwise, the U.K. is facing a chaotic “no-deal” departure from the bloc within days, or a much longer delay that May says she will not allow while she is in power.

May, who has spent two-and-ahalf years trying to lead Britain out of the EU, said it was “a matter of great personal regret” that she had to seek a delay to Brexit.

In a televised statement from 10 Downing St., May said she shared the frustration felt by many Britons who have “had enough” of endless Brexit debates and infighting. She blamed Parliament for the deadlock, and warned that if lawmakers did not back her deal, it would cause “irreparable damage to public trust.”

“It is high time we made a decision,” May said.

In a letter to European Council president Donald Tusk, May acknowledged that the Brexit process “clearly will not be completed before 29 March, 2019” — the date fixed in law two years ago for Britain’s departure.

May asked to delay Britain’s withdrawal until June 30, and said she would set out her reasons to EU leaders at a summit in Brussels today.

Her plan is to hold a third vote in Parliament on her deal next week, then use the EU-granted extension to pass the legislation needed for an orderly departure from the EU.

“As prime minister I am not prepared to delay Brexit any further than June 30,” May told the House of Commons — a hint she could quit if Britain is forced to accept a longer pause.

Tusk said he thought a short delay to Brexit “will be possible, but it would be conditional on a positive vote on the withdrawal agreement in the House of Commons.”

May’s request — and Tusk’s response — leaves Britain and the bloc facing Brexit uncertainty right up to the deadline for departure.