Brexit: EU rejects Prime Minister's request, May and Corbyn meeting underway

LONDON, (Patria) - European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has rejected Prime Minister May's request for an extension of the deadline for Britain's exit from the EU. He stressed that April 12 is the final deadline for British parliamentarians to accept the withdrawal agreement, otherwise Britain leaves the union or would have to agree to a longer delay, Patria reports.

'After April 12, we risk the success of the European Parliament elections, which is a threat to the functioning of the European Union,' Juncker explained the decision.

In an effort to find a solution for the UK's exit from the EU, after a series of failed attempts, Prime Minister Theresa May met today with opposition leader, Labour's Jeremy Corbyn.

Her new move has met with an extremely negative reaction from Brexit supporters.

Just a day earlier, May announced that Britain would seek another delay to the country's withdrawal from the EU because her plan fails to secure a majority of votes in Parliament. The prime minister is trying to overcome the persistent deadlock by meeting with the opposition party, which, in addition to her recent offer to resign in exchange for support for the withdrawal plan, is already her second major move.

If the new attempts do not result in a solution, it is now certain that the UK will have to leave the EU on April 12 – without a plan.

Another ministerial resignation

Chris Heaton-Harris, the junior minister for exiting the EU, resigned on Wednesday, CNN reports.

'I fully understand that you do not want to leave the EU without a negotiated plan, which obviously makes my job in the government irrelevant,' Heaton-Harris wrote in his resignation letter.

He is the second minister to resign in the political crisis surrounding Brexit.

We recall, last week parliament voted four times on different exit options as alternatives to the prime minister's rejected plan. Although no option won a majority of votes, the option of a second referendum emerged as the favourite by number of votes.

If the EU eventually approves a more significant extension of the deadline, the UK will remain an EU member during that time, which further brings the idea of a second chance for the people's vote closer. The prime minister has been against this option all along, considering it a 'betrayal' of the people who voted in 2016, but she will ultimately have to respect the will of parliament.