With just a week to go until Britain risks lurching out into legal limbo at midnight next Friday, EU leaders gave May an extra two months, until May 22, to leave if she wins next week’s vote in parliament.
EU president Donald Tusk has confirmed that British Prime Minister Theresa May has accepted an offer of two options for short delays to the date of Britain's withdrawal from the European Union.
"I met Prime Minister May several times tonight to make sure the UK accepts the extension scenarios and I am pleased to confirm we have an agreement on this," the EU council president said.
If the British parliament agrees May's divorce deal in the next few days, the delay would be until May 22 to give MPs time to ratify the text.
“The European Council agrees to an extension until 22 May 2019, provided the Withdrawal Agreement is approved by the House of Commons next week,” EU leaders said in a statement.
If not, the EU would still offer a shorter postponement to April 12 -- the final day before which Britain must say whether it wants to take part in European elections in May.
"That is the real deadline to say whether they want to stay in the EU -- they would have to say why they would like a longer extension," a source in the French presidency told AFP news agency.
If they do not want to have these elections, "that would mean they have chosen to leave with no deal".
