United Kingdom finance minister says govt open to Brexit compromise with opposition

In a statement issued on Saturday night, Mrs May said after doing "everything in my power" to persuade her party - and its backers in Northern Ireland's DUP - to approve the deal she agreed with the European Union a year ago, she "had to take a new approach".

The government's team is now negotiating with leaders from Britain's main opposition Labour Party in a bid to find a compromise solution to London's political stalemate. "It would mean letting the Brexit the British people voted for slip through our fingers".

Britain's government has been forced to talk to Labour's Jeremy Corbyn to save Brexit, Andrea Leadsom, its leader in the House of Commons, said on Sunday, suggesting ministers were ready to compromise with the opposition leader.

Mrs May, who has been accused by Labour of failing to propose changes to her Withdrawal Agreement in cross-party negotiations, said her position offered "the basis for a compromise".

A senior European Union official said that Tusk's own idea to offer Britain a "flexible" 12-month extension "will be presented to member states today".

"We do need change if we're going to compromise", said Keir Starmer, the party's Brexit spokesman, Keir Starmer, said, adding that Labour wants the talks to continue.

"The only reasonable way out would be a long but flexible extension".

The prime minister is due to travel to Brussels on Wednesday afternoon for the emergency European council summit, but a comprehensive package required by the EU to permit a further delay to Brexit does not seem achievable, at present.

In a letter to European Council President Donald Tusk, May asked for an extension until the end of June and agreed to make contingency plans to take part in European Parliament elections on May 23-26 if necessary.

She added that she was hopeful it could be as soon as May 22 - a key date since that would avoid the need for Britain to participate in elections for the European Parliament.

The elections pose a substantial stumbling block because Britain would be expected to take part, if it is still an EU member, so its people have representation in the European Parliament.

France also poses doubt to the extension by calling the request "premature", and urges "a clear plan" that would justify the second delay, a source in the French presidency also said Friday.

British Finance Minister Philip Hammond said on Saturday that the government had "no red lines" in talks with the main opposition party to break the deadlock in parliament over Brexit.

May has asked for a new delay until June 30, to give Britain's divided politicians time to agree, approve and implement a withdrawal agreement.

May's choice to negotiate with Corbyn is risky to both the Conservatives and Labour, and could widen divisions over Brexit that operate through both parties.

Earlier on Friday, an European Union official said Tusk would suggest to member states that they offer Britain a flexible 12-month delay to Brexit, removing some of the pressure on May to ram through a deal by next Wednesday's summit meeting.

Mrs May said a deal could lead to the United Kingdom leaving the European Union in six weeks, however, if this fails it could result in no Brexit at all.

The EU dismissed Rees-Mogg's comments about what Britain should do if it remains a member over the coming months, seen by his critics as an attempt to goad the EU into rejecting the extension and therefore making a no-deal Brexit likelier.

Mrs May and the Labour leader are now in talks seeking to resolve the Commons impasse on Brexit.
"It could be unpicked by Boris Johnson if he takes over fro Theresa May later this year", Rennie said of any potential deal. In her statement on Saturday, May left the door open to a customs union - and to a second referendum on Brexit - by conspicuously leaving those proposals out of her list of red lines.