With 2 days to go before the United Kingdom's initial date of exit from the European Union and after British Prime Minister Theresa May reportedly said she would be ready to leave office if her draft agreement with the EU were adopted, MEPs welcomed the choice left to London by the Twenty-Seven on Wednesday 27 March between adopting the agreement allowing an orderly Brexit by 22 May at the latest and a change in strategy by 12 April (see EUROPE 12219/1).
During a debate in Strasbourg on the Spring European Summit, the President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, made incisive statements about the British Parliament, asking it not to “betray the six million people” who signed the petition calling for the revocation of Article 50, the “million people” who marched to demand a second referendum and the growing majority of those who support keeping the United Kingdom in the EU. These people need to know that they “are represented by you in this House”, he said.
The European Council's decision leaves “very clear options” in London, said Germany's Manfred Weber, leader of the EPP group in the European Parliament. For Jean-Claude Juncker's successor candidate, the decision by the Twenty-Seven is “good”, because it acknowledged the principle that there could be no “extension” of the period provided for in Article 50 of the Treaty without “clarifications”.
It was also important to take into account the fact that millions of Europeans, who will vote in May, also need clarity on possible British participation, as it is difficult to explain to people “how a country that wants to leave the EU can still have a say in the future” of the European project, said the Bavarian.
His compatriot Udo Bullmann, leader of the S&D group, welcomed the postponement of Brexit to 12 April at this stage, a decision that “made it possible to avoid the worst”. But, unlike the EPP, he clearly stated that he is in favour of a second vote in the United Kingdom, the only “option” left. The Social Democrat also asked the elected officials behind Brexit, turning to Nigel Farage (EFDD, UK), to “apologise” for all the “harm” they have done to the British people since the 2016 British referendum.
For Mr Bullmann, it is also clear that the British must continue to “participate” in the future configuration of the EU “until the United Kingdom has left”. The Greens/EFA group, through the voice of Scotland's Alyn Smith, has also called for this to be maintained in the EU and asked the Twenty-Seven to leave the door open for a potentially independent Scotland.
On the ECR side, Pole Ryszard Legutko did not appreciate Mr Tusk's comments. In his view, the EU supposedly considered a popular vote that would have been in favour of keeping the United Kingdom in the EU as irrevocable. The EU is also guilty of trying to “humiliate” the United Kingdom and “punish” the country by threatening it with a “no deal” scenario.
This statement was rejected by Michel Barnier, the EU's chief negotiator, who spoke at the end of the debate. “No one in Brussels wants to pervert the vote” of the British, he insisted.
Nigel Farage (EFDD) simply called on the British Parliament to reject by 12 April an extension of the period of Article 50, as well as the agreement between Mrs May's government and the Twenty-Seven, which he compared to a “modern-day Treaty of Versailles”. It is better, in his opinion, to leave Britain without an agreement.
Possible resignation of Mrs May after a successful third vote
At the end of the day Wednesday, Mrs May has reportedly promised Tory MPs to leave her position if the House of Commons were to approve the draft withdrawal agreement. She assured them of this when the House was to hold further indicative votes in the evening. Speaker of the House, John Bercow, selected eight options (out of 16) on which the British Parliament to vote for information. These options range from the revocation of Article 50 to the adoption of a model for future relations between the EU and the United Kingdom of the 'EEA' or 'EFTA' type, a permanent customs union, or the choice of a no-deal Brexit.
Already rejected in the past, some options have returned to the table: a permanent customs union or the choice of a no-deal Brexit or a controlled no-deal.
The British media reported rumours that a third ‘meaningful vote’ on the agreement could be called on Friday 29 March. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)