Theresa May officially wants to put the breaks on Brexit.
The U.K. prime minister's plans for Britain's exit from the EU have continued to falter, prompting votes that question confidence in her leadership and even calls for her to resign. And in a sure sign that May still hasn't figured things out, she asked European Council President Donald Tusk on Wednesday for a three-month extension on Britain's stay in the EU.
May is set to meet with EU leaders on Thursday and, with a previously set Brexit deadline of March 29 less than two weeks away, is expected to ask for an extension, Politico reports. May told MPs Tuesday that she wouldn't delay Brexit any further than her June 30 request, per BBC. Still, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker responded by "formally warn[ing] May that if an extension is granted beyond May 23's European Parliament elections, there would be "institutional difficulties and legal uncertainty," CNN notes.
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.
Britain voted to leave the EU more than two years ago, but has struggled to come up with a deal that would preserve trade relations with the bloc. Parliament has continually shot down May's proposed deals to exit, but also ruled out a no-deal Brexit with a non-binding vote last week.
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.