Theresa May asks Jeremy Corbyn to help break Brexit deadlock
PM under fire from Tory Brexiteers for national unity move
Theresa May is to ask the European Union for an extension to the Brexit deadline to “break the logjam” in the Commons.
Speaking after a seven-hour Cabinet meeting, the prime minister also said she wants to meet Jeremy Corbyn to agree a plan on the future relationship with the EU. The Labour leader said he was “very happy” to meet May.
The national unity move has already sparked criticism. The Times says May risks “Tory wrath” by working with Corbyn and The Sun says it shows she has “gone soft”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
However, the angriest words have come from Tory Brexiteers. Iain Duncan Smith told Sky News: “We are just about to legitimise Corbyn”, while Boris Johnson accused May of “entrusting the final handling of Brexit to Labour”.
Jacob Rees-Mogg joined the chorus of condemnation, saying: “To allow the Labour party to run Brexit, to decide you'd rather be supported by a Marxist than by your own party, is unwise.”
An unnamed Tory MP said: “She has f***ed our party. She is f***ing Brexit. She is f***ing the country.” Some Conservative backbenchers are urging cabinet ministers to stage a mutiny and move to oust her immediately.
The prime minister is accused of ignoring the will of her Cabinet by ruling out a no deal Brexit. She faces the possibility of Cabinet resignations after 14 ministers begged her to keep no deal on the table rather than seek an extension.
But in her statement from Downing Street, May said she wanted a further extension to be “as short as possible”. The prime minister said she hoped to agree a new plan with Corbyn and put it to a vote in the Commons. She insisted that her withdrawal agreement would remain part of the deal.
She said: “I am offering to sit down with the leader of the opposition and to try to agree a plan - that we would both stick to - to ensure that we leave the European Union and that we do so with a deal.”
She added that if she and Corbyn do not agree a single way forward, she plans to put a number of options to MPs “to determine which course to pursue”.
However, the BBC's Europe editor Katya Adler points out that the EU would still have to agree to any extension and that they are preparing “pretty strict conditions” for any further delay.
The president of the European Council, Donald Tusk, has called for patience. Writing on Twitter, he said: “Even if, after today, we don’t know what the end result will be, let us be patient.”
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Why au pairs might become a thing of the past
Under The Radar Brexit and wage ruling are threatening the 'mutually beneficial arrangement'
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
'A direct, protracted war with Israel is not something Iran is equipped to fight'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 17, 2024
Cartoons Wednesday's cartoons - political anxiety, jury sorting hat, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Will Aukus pact survive a second Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question US, UK and Australia seek to expand 'game-changer' defence partnership ahead of Republican's possible return to White House
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Farewell to Theresa May: a PM consumed by Brexit
Talking Point Maidenhead MP standing down at next general election
By The Week UK Published
-
It's the economy, Sunak: has 'Rishession' halted Tory fightback?
Today's Big Question PM's pledge to deliver economic growth is 'in tatters' as stagnation and falling living standards threaten Tory election wipeout
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Stormont power-sharing in sight: 'good news' for Northern Ireland?
Talking Point Unionists vote to end two-year boycott after agreeing legislative package to address post-Brexit trading arrangements
By The Week UK Published
-
Why your local council may be going bust
The Explainer Across England, local councils are suffering from grave financial problems
By The Week UK Published
-
Rishi Sunak and the right-wing press: heading for divorce?
Talking Point The Telegraph launches 'assault' on PM just as many Tory MPs are contemplating losing their seats
By Keumars Afifi-Sabet, The Week UK Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published