Brexit: Here are the key events this week
Britain is due to leave the European Union on Friday if an extension is not granted.
But how will events this week decide what happens?
– Tuesday April 9
Theresa May will head to Berlin and Paris for talks with German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Emmanuel Macron.
The Prime Minister is expected to set out the rationale behind her request for a delay to the date of Brexit from April 12 to June 30.
The trip appears to make it unlikely that any compromise Brexit deal thrashed out with Labour will be put before MPs ahead of a crunch EU summit on Wednesday.
However, talks between the Government and Labour will continue.
And the Commons is to debate a Government motion setting June 30 as the requested Article 50 extension date.
The move means that MPs could seek to change the date of the requested extension via amendments.
ROYAL ASSENT: Having been agreed by both Houses of Parliament, the #EUWithdrawal5Bill has now received Royal Assent.
A motion under the terms of the European Union Withdrawal (No.5) Act 2019 – on the Article 50 extension to be requested from the EU – will be debated tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/70BH8UbMDP
— UK House of Commons (@HouseofCommons) April 8, 2019
– Wednesday April 10
The Prime Minister will head to Brussels on Wednesday afternoon for an emergency meeting of the European Council.
She will ask the leaders of the 27 remaining EU nations to grant her an extension to Article 50, without which the UK will leave with no-deal on Friday.
– Thursday April 11
Mrs May is likely to outline plans in the wake of the EU summit.
– Friday April 12
This is when the UK is scheduled to leave the EU after MPs repeatedly rejected the Prime Minister’s deal.
Mrs May has written to European Council president Donald Tusk asking for a further extension to June 30, but the EU27 will have to agree to it when they meet on Wednesday.
If they do not agree to an extension, Britain will leave without a deal at 11pm on Friday.
