Will Brexit be delayed?
Jeremy Hunt suggests the deadline might need to be extended, but Downing Street stands firm for now

A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Britain may have to delay its departure from the EU even if a deal is agreed, Jeremy Hunt said yesterday.
The Foreign Secretary told the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that Brexit might need to be pushed back in order for key laws to be approved.
Asked when Brexit would happen, he said: “I think that depends on how long this process takes.”
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.
“If we ended up approving a deal in the days before March 29, then we might need some extra time to pass critical legislation. But if we are able to make progress sooner then that might not be necessary,” he added.
Hunt’s remarks “earned him a rebuke” from Downing Street even though his comments were “technically correct,” because there will come a point in March where it will no longer be possible to ratify a deal in time for the end of the month, says The Guardian.
Tom Newton Dunn, political editor at The Sun, tweeted that Hunt was the “most senior government minister yet to admit what everybody privately admits - Brexit is going to be delayed”.
When asked about the foreign secretary’s comments, Theresa May’s spokesperson insisted the government remains committed to leaving the bloc on 29 March.
Parliament's February break has been cancelled, which No 10 said showed all steps were being taken to avoid delay.
However, experts believe a delay is inevitable. “There’s a growing realisation in the EU that the UK might need longer to get its house in order than the UK itself realises,” Mujtaba Rahman, a former UK Treasury and European commission official, told The Guardian.
It is possible for the deadline to be extended, but it would require the unanimous approval of all EU member states.
The EU’s response is “far from certain,” says the Financial Times. Leaders are unlikely to turn down a request outright, but it would undoubtedly come with a number of terms and conditions, the paper says.
Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament’s Brexit co-ordinator, has already said that an extension will not be given as a blank cheque. “We need to be absolutely clear that there should be a ‘plan’ before agreeing to it.”
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
All about Zealandia, the Earth’s potential 8th continent
The Explainer The secret continent went undiscovered for over 300 years
By Devika Rao Published
-
A reckoning over looted art
The Explainer Thousands of artifacts in U.S. and European collections were stolen from their countries of origin. Should they be sent back?
By The Week Staff Published
-
A surge in surge pricing
Feature And more of the week's best financial insight
By The Week Staff Published
-
Why is the UK pushing Germany on fighter jets for Saudi Arabia?
Today's big question Berlin has opposed the sale of weapons to Riyadh on humanitarian grounds
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Is it time the world re-evaluated the rules on migration?
Today's Big Question Home Secretary Suella Braverman questions whether 1951 UN Refugee Convention is 'fit for our modern age'
By The Week Staff Published
-
Rishi Sunak's tree code: what is the PM's election strategy?
Today's Big Question Conservative leader lining up major policy announcements in bid to rebrand as 'change' candidate
By Elliott Goat Published
-
Will Rishi Sunak's green wedge issue win over the public?
Today's Big Question The PM draws dividing line with Labour on net zero ahead of the next general election
By Sorcha Bradley Published
-
Industry backlash as Sunak set to water down green pledges
Speed Read Automotive and energy bosses look for clarity after PM backs away from UK net zero goal
By Arion McNicoll Published
-
October by-elections: what's at stake for Labour, Lib Dems and Tories
Parties will contest two former safe Tory seats on 19 October, putting pressure on Rishi Sunak
By Harriet Marsden Published
-
Would Keir Starmer get a better Brexit deal?
Today's big question Labour leader must overcome fact that European capitals 'consider Brexit yesterday's problem'
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
The Abuse of Power by Theresa May review
Talking Point This 'serious book by a serious woman' hardly counts as a memoir at all
By The Week Staff Published