MOSCOW (Sputnik) - A technical extension of the Brexit deadline is possible if the UK House of Commons passes the withdrawal deal, the spokesman for the French government said Wednesday.
"A technical extension can always be envisaged to finish parliamentary work if there is agreement, which is what Mrs May is asking for and this will be discussed tomorrow at the European Council… It is up to London to formulate proposals and up to the European Council to discuss them at the meeting which will be held tomorrow," Benjamin Griveaux told reporters.
The spokesman added the Brexit delay was not "automatic" and May would have to explain why she wanted one.
"The position of France is simple. The UK prime minister has to explain to us how long [the extension will be], for what purpose, and she has to give us guarantees that this extension of Brexit will not be a solution in itself, it can only be a means to an end. A delay is, therefore, neither automatic, nor certain," Griveaux said.
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REUTERS / Francois Lenoir
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Earlier in the day UK Prime Minister Theresa May confirmed that she had written to European Council President Donald Tusk to inform him that London would seek a Brexit extension until June 30. The original deadline for the UK departure is March 29.
READ MORE: UK PM Confirms to Parl't She Asked EU for Brexit Delay Until 30 June
The European Council meeting will be held on Thursday and Friday, with Brexit delay expected to be one of the key issues.
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In the meantime, Steven Woolfe, a UK member of the European Parliament told Sputnik that speaker for the UK House of Commons John Bercow was right to stop the government from bringing the same withdrawal deal to the parliament for a vote.
In a surprise announcement on Monday, Bercow said that the government could not bring the same deal to vote unless it has been substantially changed or a new parliament session has been called.
"It was pretty clear for anybody who knows our constitution that for a long time it's been a precedent that you can't keep bringing back the same motion over and over again… So he [Bercow] was right to do so and I think the problem it's highlighted is that the government is a complete shambles. It has been unable to get a deal through and just wants to keep pushing and applying pressure to [members of parliament] MPs with the fear that otherwise they won't get Brexit. Which just shows how bad they are as a government," Woolfe said.Source: sputniknews.com
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