Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May is seen at Downing Street, in London, Britain March 18, 2019. REUTERS/Toby Melville

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May is trying to force parliament into the stark choice of backing her deal to leave the European Union or supporting a so-called ‘no deal’ Brexit, Keir Starmer, Labour’s Brexit policy chief, said on Wednesday.

Starmer, from Britain’s main opposition Labour Party, said May’s decision to press for a short extension at an EU summit on Thursday meant that she was “desperate once again to impose a binary choice between her deal and no deal despite parliament clearly ruling out both of those options last week”.

“What the government should be doing is showing real leadership, making good on their commitment to break the deadlock and secure an extension with a genuine purpose,” he said in a statement.