Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May is seen after the ASEM leaders group photo opportunity during a summit in Brussels, Belgium October 19, 2018. REUTERS/Toby Melville

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Monday that London might ask for a short extension of a planned transition period to ease its exit from the European Union.

“There are some limited circumstances in which it could be argued that an extension to the implementation period might be preferable if we were certain it was only for a short time,” May told parliament.

May was speaking to lawmakers about an EU leaders summit held last week.

Her attempts to unlock the Brexit negotiations by considering an extension to the transition period beyond an end date of December 2020 has angered pro- and anti-EU factions in her Conservative Party.