Donald Tusk has reassured MPs that a Brexit extension is still on the table as they prepare for a Commons showdown on Boris Johnson’s new deal.
Two crucial votes on Tuesday will determine whether the prime minister will be able to live up to his “do or die” commitment to take the UK out of the European Union by the 31 October deadline.
French president Emmanuel Macron and EU chief Jean-Claude Juncker had applied pressure on MPs with hints that Johnson’s deal is the last and that any further delay may not be granted.
I am consulting EU leaders on how to respond to the British request for an Art. 50 extension. We should be ready for every scenario. But I made clear to PM @BorisJohnson: a no-deal #Brexit will never be our decision.
My speech @Europarl_EN: https://t.co/TtYap11Cfl #EUCO
— Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) October 22, 2019
But European Council president Tusk suggested another extension to Article 50 could be granted as he consults EU leaders over the requested delay and MPs prepare to debate the Withdrawal Agreement Bill (WAB).
“It is obvious that the result of these consultations will very much depend on what the British parliament decides, or doesn’t decide,” he said in a speech at the council on Tuesday.
“We should be ready for every scenario. But one thing must be clear: as I said to prime minister Johnson on Saturday, a no-deal Brexit will never be our decision.”
