Theresa May announced that she would ask for ANOTHER extension of Article 50 at Downing Street.

The Prime Minister told the nation that she would again ask the European Council for a further delay to allow more talks, votes and discussions about Brexit to take place.

She also announced during the brief statement that she hopes to sit down with the opposition leader, Jeremy Corbyn , in the hope of breaking the Brexit deadlock in parliament.

Mrs May said that if they could not agree a deal they would present Parliament with a number of options to vote on.

She then said that her government would back any outcome that was voted for.

The announcements came after seven hour long talks involving the PM's cabinet.

According to Mirror Online, The crisis talks were due to start with a three hour political Cabinet meeting from 9am, and after lunch, a two-hour Cabinet meeting from 1pm to 3pm.

But the meeting went on until past 5pm - and Ministers were reportedly under orders not to leave Number 10 until after her speech.

International Development Minister Penny Mordaunt was seen leaving Number 10 via the Cabinet Office, bypassing the waiting cars on Downing Street.

But it's understood she was leaving to go to a meeting.</s>Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Theresa May: "I'm offering to sit down with the leader of the opposition"

Theresa May will ask the EU for an extension to the Brexit deadline to "break the logjam" in Parliament.

The PM says she wants to meet Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to agree a plan on the future relationship with the EU.

But she insisted her withdrawal agreement - which was voted down last week - would remain part of the deal.

Mr Corbyn said he was "very happy" to meet Mrs May, and would ensure plans for a customs union and protection of workers' rights were on the table.

The cross-party talks offer has angered Tory Brexiteers, with Boris Johnson accusing ministers of "entrusting the final handling of Brexit to Labour".

The former foreign secretary said Brexit was "becoming soft to the point of disintegration" and he could never agree with staying in a customs union.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Boris Johnson: Brexit process 'disintegrating'

BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said it probably means the prime minister is likely to adopt a closer relationship with the EU - a softer Brexit - than she had agreed so far.

The UK has until 12 April to propose a plan to the EU - which must be accepted by them - or it will leave without a deal.

Mrs May agreed a deal with the EU in November 2018, but it has been voted down twice in Parliament by huge margins, and a separate deal just on the withdrawal agreement section lost by 58 votes on Friday.

MPs have also twice held indicative votes to try to find a consensus, but none of the proposals won a majority.

The UK was supposed to leave the EU on 29 March, but Mrs May agreed a short extension after realising Parliament would not agree a deal by the deadline.

In a statement in Downing Street, Mrs May said she wanted any further extension to be "as short as possible" - before 22 May so the UK does not have to take part in European elections.

She said she wanted to agree a new plan with Mr Corbyn and put it to a vote in the Commons before 10 April - when the EU will hold an emergency summit on Brexit.

If she and Mr Corbyn do not agree a single way forward, she proposed putting a number of options to MPs "to determine which course to pursue".

But the EU would still have to agree to any extension.

The BBC's Europe editor Katya Adler warned their demands "haven't changed at all", and they are preparing "pretty strict conditions" for any further delay.

"Even though Theresa May says she doesn't want to, EU leaders will ask her to prepare the UK to take part in European Parliamentary elections by the end of May because they don't believe she will be able to get her Brexit house in order before then," she said.

'I don't want to set any limits'

Mr Corbyn said he saw the content of the prime minister's speech only when it went out on TV, but he recognised Mrs May had "made a move" and that he had a "responsibility" to engage in the talks.

Asked by the BBC if he was willing to compromise on his own red lines, he said: "I have been meeting MPs from all parties from the last couple of weeks. Yes, there is some common ground [and] there are some areas it is difficult to agree on.

"But there is far more that unites people on both sides about the kind of society we can be than divides them.

"We will discuss [this] with the prime minister. I don't want to set any limits one way or the other."

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Jeremy Corbyn: "I recognise that she has made a move... I recognise my responsibility"

Earlier, Mrs May met her cabinet for more than seven hours.

Laura Kuenssberg said there were differing accounts of the level of support for any extension within the cabinet - from four ministers voicing opposition to it to as many as 14 being against it.

Pressed on this, Environment Secretary Michael Gove told the BBC none of the Brexiteers in cabinet were "happy at the situation we find ourselves in" and they would have preferred for Mrs May's withdrawal agreement to be passed by Parliament last week.

But he said there had not been a vote on the issue in the meeting, and there was a "critical consensus" about any extension being as short as possible.

The Leader of the House, Andrea Leadsom, said: "We are trying to find a way to deliver on the referendum to make sure that we leave the European Union with a good deal that enables all of those who voted to leave the EU to be satisfied, but also that protects jobs and our security.

"We continue to do that and that's what cabinet today was all about".

Image caption Andrea Leadsom said cabinet was "trying to find a way to deliver on the referendum".

Leading Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg said it was "not usually successful for governments to get their business passed on opposition votes when their own party is against it".

The chairman of the pro-Brexit European Research Group added he "doubts the wisdom" of the decision, saying: "To allow the Labour party to run Brexit, to decide you'd rather be supported by a Marxist than by your own party, is unwise."

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Rees-Mogg: PM 'unwise' to allow Labour to run Brexit policy

Mrs May said she understood some people would prefer to leave without a deal, and she believed the UK "could make a success of no-deal in the long term".

But she added that leaving with a deal was "the best solution".

"This is a difficult time for everyone," she said.

"Passions are running high on all sides of the argument, but we can and must find the compromises that will deliver what the British people voted for.

"This is a decisive moment in the story of these islands and it requires national unity to deliver the national interest."

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said it was another case of the PM "kicking the can", while Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable questioned the point of cross-party talks.

Skip Twitter post by @vincecable This is just piling more logs on the log jam. Does the PM seriously think we can have a German style Grand Coalition between her and Jeremy Corbyn to deliver Brexit. May meets Marx? https://t.co/KUbLwUUmG1 — Vince Cable (@vincecable) April 2, 2019 Report

Hilary Benn, the Labour MP who chairs the Commons Brexit committee, said the PM's announcement was "good news" but she must show she was genuinely open to new ideas.

But Brexit-supporting Labour MP Kate Hoey said "whatever compromise" Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn came up with, many MPs would simply not vote for the withdrawal agreement.

The Democratic Unionist Party - who give Mrs May a majority in Parliament but have repeatedly voted against her deal - said the move came as "little surprise" after the PM's "lamentable handling of the negotiations".

The DUP said: "It remains to be seen if sub-contracting out the future of Brexit to Jeremy Corbyn, someone whom the Conservatives have demonised for four years, will end happily."

After Mrs May's statement, the president of the European Council, Donald Tusk, called for patience.

Backbench MPs earlier tabled a bill to try to stop the UK leaving the EU without a deal on 12 April by forcing Mrs May to ask for an extension.

After the PM's statement, Labour's Yvette Cooper said it was "welcome", but added: "We are waiting to find out further details on how the government's proposed process will work, including how decisions will be taken about the length and purpose of an extension, and how indicative votes will work to make sure we don't just end up with no deal a bit later on."

How has Brexit unfolded?

Image copyright PA

June 2016: UK votes in referendum to leave EU

November 2018: UK agrees withdrawal agreement and framework of future relations with EU

December 2018: Theresa May postpones first meaningful vote on deal to seek further assurances from EU

15 January: House of Commons rejects overall Brexit deal by 230 votes

13 March: MPs vote down Brexit deal for second time by 149 votes

22 March: EU agrees to delay Brexit beyond 29 March - but only to 12 April if UK can't agree deal within a week

29 March: MPs reject withdrawal agreement on its own by 58 votes

2 April: PM says she will seek further "short extension" from the EU</s>BREXITEERS are tonight mounting a desperate bid to overthrow Prime Minister Theresa May after she asked for a compromise meeting with Jeremy Corbyn.

Reports suggest arch-brexiteers are fuming over the PM’s soft Brexit “betrayal”. According to the Sun, senior Tories have now called on chairman Sir Graham Brady to allow a secret ballot to go ahead during a meeting his influential 1922 Committee later today. The committee consists of Tory backbench MPs and it takes just 15% of Conservative MPs to ask the executive team to hold a vote on national matters.

The committee was last asked for a vote against Theresa May was on December 12, 2018, which she won. The December victory meant she was granted a one-year “grace period” and that no formal processes can be launched. According to sources, MPs are desperate for the 1922 committee to hold a crunch vote before the PM thrashes out a soft Brexit compromise with the Labour leader. While the ballot would not be legally binding, it would most likely speed up her departure from Downing Street. The meeting was scheduled for 5pm and is currently ongoing.

It is believed that International Trade Secretary Liam Fox is representing the government at the meeting, and will use his position to defend Mrs May’s decisions. Theresa May has been criticised for pursuing a “Labour Brexit Deal” after the collapse of her own agreement with the EU. Her deal was sensationally voted down three times in the Commons. A potential May-Corbyn Brexit deal would most likely see the UK shackled to the EU customs union and the single market, with a watered down immigration plan and an end to free movement. Labour has not yet revealed what its plans would be regarding the Irish backstop. While the 1922 committee meeting continued, House of Commons Speaker John Bercow tonight blocked more votes on alternative Brexit options after a rare parliamentary tie saw 310 votes either side.</s>Theresa May has said she will be seeking a further delay to Brexit, as she offered to sit down with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in a bid to break the impasse.

Speaking in Downing Street following a marathon seven-hour meeting of her cabinet, the prime minister said the debate and division caused by Britain's EU exit "cannot drag on much longer".

"Today I'm taking action to break the logjam," Mrs May said.

"I'm offering to sit down with the leader of the opposition and try to agree a plan that we would both stick to to ensure we leave the EU and we do so with a deal.

"Any plan would have to agree the current withdrawal agreement - it has already been negotiated with the 27 other members and the EU has repeatedly said it cannot and will not be re-opened."

Mrs May said she hoped to agree a deal with Mr Corbyn that could be put to parliament for a vote before an EU summit next week.

Mr Corbyn responded by saying he would be "very happy" to hold talks with the prime minister and would not set any "limits" ahead of the meeting.

He said: "We recognise that she has made a move, I recognise my responsibility to represent the people that supported Labour in the last election and the people who didn't support Labour but nevertheless want certainty and security for their own future and that's the basis on which we will meet her and we will have those discussions."

Mrs May has committed to leaving the EU's single market and customs union, but Mr Corbyn by contrast has said Labour would seek to establish a customs union with the bloc and retain single market access.

If the pair cannot find a way forward, the prime minister continued in her statement, a number of alternatives would be put to the Commons for MPs to have their say, with the government abiding by what parliament decides.

"The ideal outcome of this process would be to agree an approach on a future relationship that delivers on the result of the referendum, that both the leader of the opposition and I could put to the house for approval and which I could then take to next week's European Council," she said.

"However, if we cannot agree on the single unified approach, then we would instead agree a number of options for the future relationship that we could put to the House in a series of votes to determine which course to pursue.

"Crucially, the government stands ready to abide by the decision of the House.

"But to make this process work, the opposition would need to agree to this too."

Mrs May said the delay to Brexit through extending Article 50 would - if her strategy pays off - allow the UK to leave the EU "in a timely and orderly way" and should be "as short as possible".

At the moment, Britain is due to leave the EU on 12 April without a deal in place. The original exit date of 29 March was pushed back as Mrs May struggled to get her deal through the Commons.

Insisting that any resolution should take the UK out of the EU by 22 May in order to avoid participation in European Parliament elections, she said: "This is a decisive moment in the story of these islands and it will require national unity to deliver the national interest."

The offer to Mr Corbyn represents a major change in strategy from Mrs May, who has thus far tried to get her Brexit deal through parliament with Tory and DUP votes.

But a hat-trick of defeats - and MPs taking control of Commons business to give their verdict on a range of Brexit alternatives - has prompted a rethink from Downing Street.

However, the change in approach is fraught with danger for Mrs May.

The prospect of agreeing a deal with Labour raises the prospect of the prime minister compromising on her Brexit red lines and adopting a "softer" Brexit that involves close links with the EU.

The shift has already caused anger among Brexiteer MPs, with a source in the European Research Group (ERG) of eurosceptic MPs telling Sky News: "It's really kicking off.

"This cannot be allowed, the cabinet have to move against May. The '22 chairman has to go to her and tell her she has to go."

Former foreign secretary and Vote Leave campaigner Boris Johnson, who resigned from Mrs May's government over Brexit, said voters would be feeling "very short-changed" and "bitterly disappointed".

He said it was "very disappointing that the Brexit process has now been entrusted to Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party" and Brexit was "becoming soft to the point of disintegration".

Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith told Sky's deputy political Beth Rigby: "This is an utter disaster... We are just about to legitimise Corbyn. It is appalling."

ERG chair Jacob Rees-Mogg described the offer to Mr Corbyn as "deeply unsatisfactory" and accused the PM of planning to collaborate with "a known Marxist".

Ministers were said to be split 14-10 against asking for a long extension to Brexit, with ministers voting 17-4 in favour of the limited delay which is being sought by Mrs May.

Westminster will be watching for potential resignations from the ranks of Brexit-backing members of Mrs May's top team.

The reaction from the EU, so far, has been comparatively muted.

European Council President Donald Tusk tweeted: "Even if, after today, we don't know what the end result will be, let us be patient."

The European Parliament's Brexit co-ordinator Guy Verhofstadt posted a tweet which read: "Good that PM @theresa_may is looking for a cross-party compromise. Better late than never. #brexit"

EU negotiator Michel Barnier warned earlier, before the PM's statement, that a no-deal departure on 12 April was becoming "day after day more likely".

"I have just come from chairing seven hours of cabinet meetings focused on finding a route out of the current impasse - one that will deliver the Brexit the British people voted for, and allow us to move on and begin bringing our divided country back together.

"I know there are some who are so fed up with delay and endless arguments that they would like to leave with no deal next week.

"I have always been clear that we could make a success of no deal in the long-term. But leaving with a deal is the best solution.

"So we will need a further extension of Article 50 - one that is as short as possible and which ends when we pass a deal.

"And we need to be clear what such an extension is for - to ensure we leave in a timely and orderly way.

"This debate, this division, cannot drag on much longer. It is putting MPs and everyone else under immense pressure - and it is doing damage to our politics.

"Despite the best efforts of MPs, the process that the House of Commons has tried to lead has not come up with an answer.

"So today I am taking action to break the logjam: I am offering to sit down with the leader of the opposition and to try to agree a plan - that we would both stick to - to ensure that we leave the European Union and that we do so with a deal.

"Any plan would have to agree the current withdrawal agreement - it has already been negotiated with the 27 other members, and the EU has repeatedly said that it cannot and will not be reopened.

"What we need to focus on is our future relationship with the EU.

"The ideal outcome of this process would be to agree an approach on a future relationship that delivers on the result of the referendum, that both the leader of the opposition and I could put to the house for approval, and which I could then take to next week's European Council.

"However, if we cannot agree on a single unified approach, then we would instead agree a number of options for the future relationship that we could put to the House in a series of votes to determine which course to pursue.

"Crucially, the government stands ready to abide by the decision of the House. But to make this process work, the opposition would need to agree to this too.

"The government would then bring forward the Withdrawal Agreement Bill. We would want to agree a timetable for this bill to ensure it is passed before 22 May so that the United Kingdom need not take part in European parliamentary elections.

"This is a difficult time for everyone. Passions are running high on all sides of the argument. But we can and must find the compromises that will deliver what the British people voted for.

"This is a decisive moment in the story of these islands. And it requires national unity to deliver the national interest."</s>British PM Theresa May seeks last-ditch Brexit deal with opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, enraging many in her own Tory party</s>Prime Minister Theresa May said Tuesday she would ask the EU to delay Brexit again to avoid Britain crashing out of the bloc next week, signalling she could accept a closer relationship with Europe to break months of political deadlock.

After more than seven hours of talks with her ministers, May said she would request a delay that was “as short as possible and which ends when we pass a deal” through the British parliament.

In a move which enraged the Brexit-supporting wing of her Conservative Party, she also offered to work with the leader of the main opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, who favours closer ties with the European Union.

“This is a decisive moment in the story of these islands. And it requires national unity to deliver the national interest,” May said in a televised address.

Corbyn responded saying he was “very happy” to meet.

READ ALSO: Theresa May To Make Statement After Brexit Cabinet Talks

Brussels has set Britain an April 12 deadline to pass the divorce deal it agreed with May four months ago, settle on an alternative, or leave the EU without an agreement.

In reality, the deadline is even closer as the EU has called an emergency leaders’ summit for April 10.

EU president Donald Tusk responded cautiously to May’s statement, saying: “Even if, after today, we don’t know what the end result will be, let us be patient.”

Britain voted by 52 to 48 per cent to leave the EU in the 2016 referendum. However, the exit process has only exacerbated divisions among the public and politicians, including May’s cabinet.

Her statement follows weeks of turmoil.

MPs have rejected May’s divorce deal three times, but after seizing control of the process, were unable to come up with their own plan.

May said she was “taking action to break the logjam”.

She noted calls in her own party for Britain simply to end its 46-year-old membership of the bloc without any agreement with the EU, but she said that “leaving with a deal is the best solution”.

May said she believed her existing deal was still necessary for an orderly Brexit, but offered to talk to Labour about a new plan for future trade ties.

Corbyn has called for a new customs union with the EU and close alignment to the bloc’s single market, two things that until now, May has strongly opposed.

“I recognise my responsibility,” Corbyn said, stressing that the most important issue was “to make sure we don’t crash out of the EU next week with no deal”.

Corbyn said any new proposals could be voted on by parliament “early next week”.

If May and Corbyn could agree on a plan that MPs supported, the prime minister said she hoped to take it to the April 10 Brussels summit.

If not, she promised to allow MPs to direct what she does, expressing hope that Britain could still leave with a deal before May 22, so it did not have to take part in European Parliament elections.

The political chaos has already forced May to ask the EU to postpone the original Brexit date of March 29, but European leaders have warned they will not delay Brexit indefinitely.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that while he was “open” to a lengthy delay on certain conditions, it was “neither certainty nor automatic”.

The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, warned that the other 27 EU nations were prepared for a “no deal” situation, and “it becomes day after day more likely”.

The EU has repeatedly refused to renegotiate the Brexit divorce deal it agreed with May last November after almost two years of negotiations but has said it could revise the accompanying political declaration on future relations.

“What we need to focus on is our future relationship with the EU,” May said of her talks with Corbyn.

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson said it was “very disappointing” that Corbyn was being given a key role in the Brexit process.

Jacob Rees-Mogg MP suggested the Labour leader could undermine the referendum.

“Getting the support of a known Marxist is not likely to instil confidence in Conservatives,” he said.</s>Jeremy Corbyn says his crunch Brexit talks with Theresa May went "very well."

After the talks, which lasted just over two hours, Jeremy Corbyn told the Mirror that they had gone "very well" and that he expected to sit down again with the PM soon.

Talks between Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn were took place in the Prime Minister's office in the Commons.

Also attending were Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay, chief whip Julian Smith and senior Number 10 aides on the Government side and shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer, shadow business secretary Rebecca Long Bailey and shadow chief whip Nick Brown on the Labour side.

Amid claims that Labour could table a no confidence motion in the Government if talks broke down, a Cabinet minister told the Mirror they thought that was "unlikely".

"There are a lot of independent MPs in the Commons just now.

"If they vote against the Government in a confidence vote and trigger a general election they will lose their seats."They don't want that, so they may well abstain."

Labour frontbench aide James Frith has called for a meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party to push Jeremy Corbyn on a second referendum. 

 

 He said: “Such is the strength of feeling by Lab MPs to input on any deal brokered between @jeremycorbyn and the PM; I’m calling for an urgent PLP meeting tonight after Shadow Cabinet so all Lab MP’s can make the case for our towns, and Labour’s policy of a Final Say on any deal”.

A Labour spokesman said Mr Corbyn was ready for "constructive discussions" and wanted to see his party's demands enshrined in UK legislation as negotiating goals for talks with the EU on the future relationship.

"He is going into these as serious discussions," said the spokesman. "If she is at last prepared to move on her red lines, we are ready for constructive discussions."

Mr Corbyn was also meeting Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon for separate talks.

In a tweet following her meeting with Jeremy Corbyn, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she would be "surprised and very disappointed if Labour sold out" for the "bad deal" likely to be available from Theresa May.</s>Prime minister Theresa May has finally changed her Brexit strategy. After the failure of three votes on her withdrawal agreement and two rounds of indicative votes unable to produce a majority, a day long cabinet meeting was held.

When May emerged she said she would meet with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in an attempt to find cross party support. She cannot pass a deal without the support of other parties and will have to make concessions to secure their votes, reports Perspecs.

The move is unpopular among many of May's MPs in the Conservative party, and she has been accused of "handing Corbyn the keys to Brexit".

Junior minister Nigel Adams has quit the government in protest, having called the decision to work with Corbyn a "grave error".

The Daily Mail reports that Corbyn is "very happy" to meet with the prime minister, having "recognised the PM has made a move" and might finally be willing to compromise.

At the top of his list of priorities is membership of a customs union and the rights of workers being safeguarded. Labour were keen to stress that there were no red lines set down just yet.

Labour MP and shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey has said any changes agreed between the government and the opposition would need to be legally binding, ensuring that a future Tory leader cannot undo the changes after the withdrawal agreement has been voted through.

Supporters of a second referendum could be disappointed if Corbyn and May manage to reach an accord. Long-Bailey said she would "struggle to find a reason" for a confirmatory referendum if Labour got what they wanted from cross party talks, though it did carry the implicit notion that a failure from May to make enough concessions would lead to a second referendum being back on the table.

If talks fail then Labour are keeping open the option of a vote of no confidence. The party has said they will not simply help enable May's deal, something they have opposed for months, and if cross party talks fail they have other ways of trying to stop the government.

Writing in The Independent, Sean O'Grady questions how stupid Theresa May thinks Jeremy Corbyn is. If the Labour leader supports the prime minister he will be seen by many of his supporters as enabling a Tory Brexit.

He argues that the offer of cross party collaboration is a trap for the Labour leader, writing that May is not willing to compromise much and is instead hoping to get Corbyn to finally come round to her Brexit plan with empty gestures and non binding action that could later be undone.

O'Grady predicts that by the end of the week talks will have broken down, with May unwilling to either concede to Corbyn's demands or make them legally binding. He expects both parties will then attempt to play the blame game.

He believes the prime minister will attempt to offer the Labour leader non binding changes to Brexit's political declaration, something that her successor could easily change after the withdrawal agreement was passed. He argues that this would be a trick to get Labour voting for her withdrawal agreement.

The Financial Times reports Labour are going into the negotiations skeptical that May would be willing to concede anything. They are reportedly concerned that the invitation to talks is a trap so the prime minister can paint Corbyn as obstructive when things break down.

Even if the prime minister is unwilling to compromise on her thrice defeated deal, Labour are worried they will get the blame for talks collapsing. However, if they don't participate in talks they will also be viewed unfavourably.

There have been cross party talks on Brexit previously, held almost immediately after the prime minister's withdrawal agreement was first defeated in January. Talks broke down quickly as it became clear May was unwilling to compromise on her deal, and other party leaders were not convinced to change their stance and back her.

While a lack of compromise sunk previous attempts at cross party support for a deal, the prime minister should also be wary of how much she is willing to offer to Corbyn. Her MPs have warned her that a pact with Labour could tear the Tories apart.

The indicative votes showed that few Tory MPs voted in favour of any of the proposals that would soften Brexit. The cabinet did not participate in the vote but 36 Tories voted for a customs union, Corbyn's preferred plan, while 236 voted against it.</s>Theresa May is expected to meet Jeremy Corbyn for talks in an attempt to "break the logjam" over Brexit, prompting fury among Eurosceptic Tories.

Mrs May said on Tuesday that she would seek an extension beyond next week to allow negotiations with the Labour leader aimed at ensuring the UK leaves the European Union "in a timely and orderly way".

Mr Corbyn said he would be "very happy" to meet the Prime Minister in a bid to offer "certainty and security" to the British people - but Tory Brexiteers have reacted with anger.

Jacob Rees-Mogg described the offer as "deeply unsatisfactory" and accused Mrs May of planning to collaborate with "a known Marxist".

Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson said: "It is very disappointing that the Cabinet has decided to entrust the final handling of Brexit to Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party."

And Conservative MP Henry Smith said Mrs May represents a "monumental failure of British leadership, a betrayal of the majority who voted to leave the EU and Conservative Party membership" - and said he could not "countenance her Corbyn/Brexit process".

The DUP said it "remains to be seen if sub-contracting out the future of Brexit to Jeremy Corbyn, someone whom the Conservatives have demonised for four years, will end happily".

But Environment Secretary Michael Gove said he backed the talks with Labour because he wants to leave the EU.

He told BBC Two's Newsnight: "One of my concerns has been that there are people within the House of Commons who want to frustrate that referendum mandate - there are people who want to do everything possible to prevent us leaving - and I wanted to ensure that minds are concentrated so that we do leave."

The leaders' meeting is expected to take place as a cross-party group of senior MPs launches a separate attempt to force the PM to stop a no-deal Brexit by tabling legislation requiring her to delay Britain's withdrawal beyond April 12.

A group of MPs - including Conservative grandee Sir Oliver Letwin and Labour's Yvette Cooper - aim to fully pass a Bill through the Commons on Wednesday to stop the UK crashing out of the EU.

It follows the rejection of her Withdrawal Agreement three times in the Commons and failure of MPs to back any of the alternative proposals considered so far.

Instead of initiating a third round of indicative votes on Wednesday, when Parliament once more has control over the Commons timetable, Sir Oliver will table a paving motion to allow debate and votes on Ms Cooper's Bill. An amendment to his motion would set aside April 8 for indicative votes.

The single-clause Cooper Bill requires the Prime Minister to table her own motion seeking MPs' approval for an extension to the Article 50 process of Brexit talks to a date of her choosing.

The group behind the Bill, which also includes former Tory chair Dame Caroline Spelman, Commons Brexit Committee chair Hilary Benn, former attorney general Dominic Grieve and Liberal Democrat Norman Lamb, hopes once it has passed the Commons it could be approved by the House of Lords and granted Royal Assent in time for the emergency EU summit on April 10.

Meanwhile on Wednesday, the European Union will hold the first of a series of briefings on Brexit preparedness, while European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker will speak about the UK's withdrawal in Brussels.

European Parliament Brexit coordinator Guy Verhofstadt, who had said he thought a no-deal Brexit was "nearly inevitable", welcomed Mrs May's offer of talks with Mr Corbyn.

"Good that PM @theresa-may is looking for a cross-party compromise. Better late than never," he tweeted.

If the European Council proposes an extension beyond May 22, it is understood that it would be possible for the UK to take the steps necessary to prepare for European Parliament elections on May 23, but then cancel them at the last minute if the withdrawal deal was ratified.

Following the mammoth Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, one source said ministers were split 14-10 against asking for a long extension to the Brexit process.

But a second Cabinet source said ministers spoke 17-4 in favour of the limited extension sought by the Prime Minister, with just Gavin Williamson, Penny Mordaunt, Chris Grayling and Liz Truss opposed to the measure.</s>LONDON — After doing battle for years over how to withdraw Britain from the European Union, Prime Minister Theresa May and the opposition leader, Jeremy Corbyn, are expected to meet on Wednesday as potential but wary partners, following her stunning decision to reverse field and seek Mr. Corbyn’s help to get a plan through Parliament.

Mr. Corbyn, a left-wing critic of the European Union, has played coy throughout the preparations for the withdrawal, or Brexit, pledging not to do anything to help the “Tory Brexit” and remaining vague about his own preferences. While he has indicated a willingness to work with the prime minister, the Labour Party has laid down six tests for Brexit, some of them seemingly designed to make such cooperation impossible.

One of those tests, for example, calls for a deal that will “deliver the ‘exact same benefits’ as we currently have as members of the Single Market and Customs Union.”

Mrs. May, for her part, worked sedulously to sell the withdrawal plan she negotiated with the European Union to the strongly pro-Brexit faction of her party, and to minimize the need for opposition support. Any other approach, she feared, could tear her party apart.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May gives a speech after seven hours of continuous meetings, saying that a further extension to the withdrawal from the European Union is needed, and asking for talks with Jeremy Corbyn.