Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May leaves Downing Street, as she faces a no confidence vote after Parliament rejected her Brexit deal, in London, Britain, January 16, 2019. REUTERS/Toby Melville

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday that Britain will be leaving the European Union on March 29, and that the bloc would only consider extending the ‘Article 50’ negotiating period if there was a credible alternative exit plan.

“The government’s policy is that we are leaving the European Union on the 29th of March. But the EU would only extend Article 50 if actually it was clear that there was a plan that was moving towards an agreed deal,” she told parliament, a day after her proposed Brexit deal was rejected by a large margin.