MAY AGREES TO EXTEND BREXIT TRANSITION TIME, RILES MPS
LONDON:
Despair and ennui were evident in pro- and anti-Brexit camps on Thursday after PM Theresa May agreed in Brussels to an extension of the transition period for implementing the deal to withdraw from the European Union to finalise key issues. MPs and others expressed anger at the seemingly never-ending negotiations, with little progress on key issues. Some revived the idea that May needs to step aside for talks to progress. The transition period to embed new arrangements between the UK and the EU after the formal exit on March 29, 2019 is supposed to conclude at the end of 2020. But extending it will cost the UK billions more in contributions to the EU budget, critics pointed out.