May’s £100m EU election farce
She’s forced to gear up for poll – but has just hours to find MEP candidates
THERESA May fired the starting gun on Britain’s participation in the European Parliament elections last night as the country headed for a lengthy Brexit delay.
Government officials formally triggered the elections for May 23 – at an estimated cost to the taxpayer of £100 million – while the Tories launched a search for candidates.
Only last month, the Prime Minister said it would be ‘ unacceptable’ to take part in the poll, almost three years after the vote to leave the EU.
It is the clearest indication yet that Britain is facing a lengthy delay to Brexit, probably until the end of the year or possibly even longer.
Mrs May will today travel to Berlin and Paris for talks as she tries to persuade EU leaders to agree to only a short extension of Article 50 – to June 30 – in order to avoid a No Deal Brexit on Friday.
She will formally make her request at an emergency EU summit in Brussels tomorrow.
However, diplomatic sources believe the EU is likely to insist on a much longer delay. Last night it was reported EU leaders would consider a nine-month extension until the end of the year, or a 12month extension until March 2020.
At the same time, MPs could vote today to force Mrs May to seek a longer extension.
Cross-party legislation compelling Mrs May to seek a delay to avoid No Deal was expected to clear Parliament last night. MPs were told they will be able to debate – and potentially vote on – the length of delay she should ask for.
Last night the Cabinet Office formally triggered European Parliament elections for May 23, while the Conservative Party launched a frantic search for candidates, with applicants told they need to submit their names by 5pm today.
The decision to hold the elections is an embarrassment for Mrs May. But the EU has made clear it will not approve any delay unless the elections are held.
The Cabinet Office said it was ‘not inevitable’ the elections would take place if a deal can be struck in the coming weeks.
But, in a letter to potential Tory candidates last night, Conservative Central Office said: ‘ Due to the current situation, we will be contesting the European Parliament elections on May 23.’ Conservative MP Bob Seely said the decision to hold the elections was ‘really going to wind up our voters’, while Tory Brexiteer Andrew Bridgen said a long delay would ‘give time to remove Theresa May and install someone who believes in Brexit’. But some ministers believe Mrs May could try to cling on until the end of the year if Brexit is delayed in a final bid to secure a legacy for her time in office.
Mrs May began a round of calls to EU leaders yesterday in a bid to reassure them the UK will not be a disruptive influence if it remains in the EU for an extended period.
Today’s Cabinet meeting has been cancelled to allow her to travel to Berlin for talks with Angela Merkel.
EU diplomats reacted with alarm last week after Jacob Rees-Mogg urged ministers to be ‘as difficult as possible’ if a long extension leaves Britain ‘stuck in the EU’.
Dutch PM Mark Rutte, who spoke by phone with Mrs May yesterday, said it was vital the UK agreed to ‘sincere cooperation’ with the EU in an extended delay.
Mr Rutte said: ‘It is crucial to know when and on what basis UK will ratify the withdrawal agreement. A positive decision hinges also on assurances from UK on sincere cooperation.’
Emmanuel Macron has publicly warned that a further delay is not guaranteed. But diplomatic sources believe the French president is unlikely to succeed in persuading fellow EU leaders to push the UK out without a deal this week.
Zoltan Kovacs, the Hungarian prime minister’s spokesman, said: ‘Mr Macron’s attitude is just one of the 27 and at the end of the day there is going to be a compromise.’
Irish premier Leo Varadkar said he was ‘open to extending’ the Brexit deadline, while a British source said: ‘There is no way the EU is going to refuse a request for a delay.’
However, sources are gloomy about the prospect of Mrs May securing a ‘ short’ delay. One described a delay until the end of this year as a ‘best-case scenario’.
Tory MP Daniel Kawczynski last night quit the ERG – accusing the hard Brexit grouping of putting Brexit at risk. He tweeted: ‘Hardcore element of “unicorn” dreamers now actually endangering Brexit.’
‘Really going to wind up voters’