PM says she does not believe UK should delay leaving EU, but does not say it never would

Theresa May has declined to categorically rule out an extension to article 50 on the eve of the parliamentary vote on her Brexit deal, saying she wanted to deliver a “smooth and orderly” departure from the EU.

Speaking in Stoke-on-Trent as she announced an exchange of letters between the UK and the EU giving assurances on the Northern Ireland backstop arrangements, May said she did not believe the UK should delay leaving the EU, but did not say she would never accept such a delay.

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The Guardian reported on Sunday that EU officials were laying the groundwork for an extension to article 50 until July this year, to allow all the necessary legislation to pass.

The prime minister suggested this would not be desirable, but also stressed the need for an orderly exit. “We’re leaving on 29 March, I’ve been clear I don’t believe we should be extending article 50 and I don’t believe we should be having a second referendum,” May said.

“We have an instruction from the British people to leave and it’s our duty to deliver on that, but I want to do it in a way that is smooth and orderly and protects jobs and security.”

In the speech at Portmeirion pottery in the heart of the leave-voting city, May also warned MPs of the consequences of being seen to defy the referendum result.

“The deal honours the vote in the referendum by translating the people’s instruction into a detailed and practical plan for a better future,” she said.

“No one else has put forward an alternative which does this … With no deal we would have no implementation period, no security cooperation, no guarantees for UK citizens overseas, no certainty for businesses and workers here in Stoke and across the UK, and changes to everyday life in Northern Ireland that would put the future of our union at risk.

“And with no Brexit ... we would risk a subversion of the democratic process.”

The speech was overshadowed on Monday morning by a blunder in the key section of the prime minister’s final plea to MPs, which said they had always respected the vote in previous referendums, including ones where there was a much narrower margin, such as the creation of the Welsh assembly.

In fact, the creation of the assembly after the 1997 referendum was opposed by the Conservative party, including May, who voted against it in the House of Commons. The 2005 Tory manifesto also promised a rerun of that referendum with the aim of abolishing the assembly.

In remarks briefed overnight, May said “the result was accepted by both sides and the popular legitimacy of that institution had never seriously been questioned”.

That was changed in the speech delivered in Stoke. May said the “result was accepted by parliament”, though without mentioning that it was opposed by Conservative MPs.

May’s speech came as a letter from Jean-Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk was received from Brussels, one that May insisted gave legally binding assurances on the backstop.

The prime minister had promised she would secure additional “legal and political assurances” from Brussels when she delayed a vote on her deal in December.

In the letter, Brussels rejected May’s demand for a 12-month time limit to the Irish backstop, but the letter emphasised that a technological solution for avoiding a hard border was possible and both sides wanted to avoid entering the arrangement.

The EU also pledged to start negotiations on a trade agreement as soon as possible after the UK parliament backs the deal – meaning talks could technically begin on Wednesday – and to bring that agreement provisionally into force even before the parliaments of the 27 EU member states have fully ratified its terms.

The letter also emphasised the backstop will not form the basis for the future relationship negotiations, one of the key concerns of Dominic Raab when he resigned as Brexit secretary over the deal.

May conceded in her speech that she had not achieved the desired outcome – a firm date for an end to the backstop – but said there were still “valuable new clarifications and assurances”.

“If the backstop were ever triggered, it would only be temporary and both sides would do all they could to bring it to an end as quickly as possible,” she said. “The letters published today have legal force and must be used to interpret the meaning of the withdrawal agreement, including in any future arbitration.

The prime minister said she knew the changes “do not go as far as some MPs would like”, but the letter “make absolutely clear the backstop is not a threat or a trap”.

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May will return to Westminster to give a statement to the Commons before the debate on her deal resumes.

Speaking in Stoke, one of the few Conservative gains from Labour in the 2017 general election, May said the vote was a chance “to move beyond division and come together”.

“I ask MPs to consider the consequences of their actions on the faith of the British people in our democracy,” she said.