FILE PHOTO - Armin Laschet, federal premier of Germany's North Rhine-Westphalia, speaks during a signing of a new agreement on bilateral cooperation and integration, known as Treaty of Aachen, in Aachen, Germany, January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay

BERLIN (Reuters) - The European Union should agree to a Brexit extension if it enables Britain to avoid a chaotic exit, a senior German conservative said after British Prime Minister Theresa May asked the EU for a delay of Brexit until up to June 30.

Armin Laschet, the premier of Germany’s biggest regional state, North Rhine-Westphalia, said on Twitter: “If Britain asks for an extension to avoid a chaotic exit from the EU with incalculable risks for hundreds of thousands of jobs, we should agree.”

He added: “The longer the better. That means the Brits take part in the European elections too.”