Stephen Barclay says UK has not held talks with EU about delaying departure date

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Stephen Barclay, the Brexit secretary, has discounted the possibility that the government might delay Britain’s exit from the European Union beyond 29 March.

Following reports claiming that UK officials were actively exploring the possibility of extending article 50, he said the government still planned to leave on time.

His comments followed claims from Margot James, the digital minister, who said on Monday that “we might have to extend article 50” if May loses next week’s parliamentary vote on her Brexit deal.

Interviewed on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Barclay said he had not had any discussions with the EU in terms of extension.

Asked if he was denying reports in the Telegraph on Tuesday that officials had discussed an extension in Brussels, Barclay said: “Yes, I can be very clear that the government’s policy is to leave on 29 March.”

Saying there would be practical problems to any extension, such as colliding with EU elections, Barclay said: “It is important the we reflect the result. The consequence of triggering article 50 is that you either have a deal or you have no deal.”

Any extension to article 50 must be unanimously agreed by all EU member states, and EU officials have hinted in the past that the UK could be granted a “technical extension” in order to give time to enact legislation or complete a general election or referendum

Barclay appeared to confirm that the EU would give further written assurances about the nature of the Northern Ireland backstop before next week’s key vote at Westminster on the Brexit deal.

It follows comments from the Irish taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, who told reporters on Monday: “The [European] council conclusions at our last meeting in December provided written assurances but certainly what’s happening at the moment is there is close contact between the UK and EU institutions on whether a further set of written guarantees explanations and assurances could make a difference.

“And bear in mind a lot of the opposition to the withdrawal agreement and the backstop might be based on suppositions and misunderstandings about our intent as a European Union.”

Barclay said Varadkar’s comments reflected the prime minister’s understanding. “The comments from the taoiseach reflect the fact that the EU want to see this deal passed but its also in the UK’s interests to avoid the uncertainty of not having a deal and the problems that would flow from that.”

MPs will resume their debate on the Brexit deal on Wednesday, with a vote expected next Tuesday.

The government is widely expected to lose that vote unless there is a significant development, prolonging the current parliamentary impasse over Brexit.

May said on Monday she would set out in the coming days what assurances her government could give domestically on the backstop as well as those from the EU.

An amendment to the finance bill – the legislation that gives the budget legal status – would restrict the government’s powers to pursue a no-deal Brexit unless parliament voted for no deal or the government requested an extension of article 50.