EU leaders, who are exasperated by Britain's Brexit melodrama, said they would only grant the extension if May can win the UK Parliament's approval next week for her twice-rejected Brexit deal. May asked to delay Britain's withdrawal until June 30, and said she would set out her reasons to EU leaders at a summit in Brussels on Thursday. Tusk did not say whether the EU would be willing to grant a long delay to Brexit if Britain changed course and abandoned May's deal for a new approach. May said postponing Brexit beyond June would result in Parliament spending "endless hours contemplating its navel on Brexit." Juncker said Britain's Parliament needed to decide whether it would approve the only deal that is on the table.

Source: Otago Daily Times March 20, 2019 20:03 UTC