The Parliament President said the unclear situation was a source of anguish for citizens and was also damaging for firms needing to plan ahead.

However, he warned that any extension must be granted for the right reasons: “The European Parliament regards a disorderly Brexit as a calamity from which we have a duty to spare our citizens and companies. Therefore, like the House of Commons, we take the view that this outcome must be avoided. However, not at all costs, and certainly not by jeopardising the integrity of the internal market painstakingly built over the last thirty years.”

The President also underlined the importance of any extension for the European Parliament. "The European elections are not a game and they must not be made to look like one thanks to the casual attitude that some in the UK may choose to take towards them. If there is an extension, it must be designed to resolve the issue meaningfully, comply with the democratic functioning of the Union and the public’s right to elect its representatives to the European Parliament."