Theresa May set for crunch talks with Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron over Brexit delay plea

Theresa May will plead with Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron not to block her plans for a Brexit delay ahead of an emergency summit with other EU leaders.



The Prime Minister will meet the German chancellor in Berlin and French president in Paris 24 hours before the European Council meeting on Wednesday.

European leaders will gather to decide whether or not to agree to Mrs May's request for Article 50 to be extended until 30 June, with the option of quitting on 22 May if a deal can be agreed by then.

Talks aimed at agreeing a joint-position between the Government and Labour have stalled, although further talks could take place on Monday afternoon.

Downing Street tried to play down the significance of the talks with Merkel and Macron.

“She always engages with European leaders in the lead-up to Council." a spokeswoman for the Prime Minister said. "This is obviously a unique Council specifically focused on Brexit."

The UK is on course to quit the bloc on 12 April under the terms of the previous delay agreed by the EU three weeks ago.

"The Prime Minister set out a clear ask to Donald Tusk on Friday in terms of an extension," the Number 10 spokeswoman said. "She believes it’s important that she can set out the rationale for that as widely as possible in the lead-up to Council.”

Mr Macron is said to be taking a harder stance than other national leaders and wants to avoid giving the UK more time without good reason.

According to the Financial Times, he is concerned about further disruption to EU working and is spearheading demands that Britain signs up to tough political conditions in exchange for a delay.

Meanwhile, talks between the Government and the Labour party about breaking the Brexit deadlock at Westminster appear to be at an impasse.

Sources said no talks were planned for today, while Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer said: "The ball is in the government's court."

The Prime Minister's spokeswoman said: "There have been good-natured discussions between the Government and the opposition, with willingness to co-operate on both sides. There has been further contact over the weekend. Our intention is to engage further with the opposition today and given the need for urgency we hope that will lead to further formal discussions today."