BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union expects British Prime Minister Theresa May to request a Brexit delay beyond March 29 after the divided UK parliament voted down her divorce agreed with the bloc for the second time on Tuesday.

Lawmakers in the House of Commons will vote at 1900 GMT (3 p.m. ET) on Wednesday on whether to leave without agreements that would mitigate disruption expected on both sides of the Channel.

Parliament is expected to reject a no-deal Brexit, although this will have no legal force. On Thursday, it will then vote on whether to ask the EU for a delay to Brexit.

Any such delay beyond March 29 - a date May herself had set for leaving - would need to be agreed unanimously by the other 27 national EU leaders. They will discuss the matter for the first time together at a summit in Brussels on March 21.

To prepare, European Council President Donald Tusk will meet Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Friday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, and Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar on Tuesday.

Here are the main schools of thought on extending the Brexit negotiating period known as Article 50, from a part of EU law regulating departures that is now being used for the first time.

The bloc said Britain must make up its mind on how long an extension it would want and what for exactly.

It insists there will be no more negotiations of their troubled divorce package - including a declaration on their future ties - during any extension.

Probably the least likely scenario at this stage as it would lead to an abrupt no-deal divorce on March 29 and the EU would not want to take any blame for the ensuing economic disruptions.

But proponents of this route say Brexit has hijacked the EU’s agenda and distracted the bloc from dealing with key challenges for too long and that the deepening acrimony should end now.

An extension of up to eight weeks has so far emerged as the most likely scenario, with a firm deadline around the EU-wide parliamentary elections due May 24-26.

European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker said on Monday Britain needs to be out on May 23 at the latest, or else it would be under legal obligation to organize European Parliament elections on its soil.

Britain does not want to do that and the bloc does not trust it would, potentially opening another legal row between the two.

“There is an understanding that to delay beyond the European Parliament vote is very risky, a serious problem,” an EU diplomat said after envoys from the 27 member states staying together after Brexit discussed the matter in Brussels on Wednesday.

Few in the bloc, however, believe that a short delay would break the persistent deadlock in Britain, which reflects how the cabinet, parliament and nation are divided over Brexit.

If nothing else, though, it would give more time for contingency preparations, delaying the cliff-edge Brexit until late May or even late June at the latest.

The bloc wants Britain to present a specific roadmap to approving the troubled divorce deal during any extension.

But many diplomats and officials in the EU political hub Brussels admit the bloc would not really be in a position to refuse such a request and would grant a short delay regardless, albeit reluctantly.

Macron has been most outspoken about not agreeing to a Brexit delay without a clear plan from London on how to push the stalled divorce agreement over the line in the House of Commons during that time.

Merkel, on the other hand, has suggested Britain could get more time to ensure an orderly Brexit.

A complicated option because it could open the way to legal challenges of the legitimacy of the European Parliament, or even the executive European Commission that the new chamber is due to pick by the end of the year, after May’s European elections.

But it is not entirely ruled out either.

EU talk of a long extension - through the rest of this year or even until the end of 2020 - was in part aimed at putting pressure on the hardline euroskeptics in May’s Conservative Party to back her deal, or risk Brexit potentially never materializing at all.

Advocates within the EU say a long delay could open the way to a second referendum or a national election that could upend Brexit.

Or it could give Britain time to change its mind on May’s negotiating red lines and decide to seek a closer relationship with the EU after Brexit, such as the customs union proposed by the opposition Labour Party.

But critics say that this would come at a great risk and cost to the EU itself, potentially extending the uncertainty for years and sapping time, resources and energy from the bloc that would be better used elsewhere.

It could also mean letting a contingent of euroskeptic UK lawmakers into the bloc’s new parliament and potentially having them stay the whole, five-year term, giving them a say on EU affairs even after Britain might have left.</s>LONDON — British lawmakers look set to put the brakes on Brexit — for now.

Parliament is due to vote Thursday on whether to ask the European Union to delay the U.K.'s exit, due in just over two weeks on March 29.

It comes a day after lawmakers committed the country to staying in the bloc unless a divorce deal is ratified. With the approaching deadline intensifying fears that economic turmoil might follow a "no-deal" withdrawal by Britain, Parliament voted 321-278 Wednesday to rule out the possibility.

However, Prime Minister Theresa May and the European Union noted the decision wasn't legally binding. She still hopes to get the House of Commons to pass her divorce deal despite two big defeats.

A look at what might happen next:

After a series of Parliamentary defeats, May has grudgingly given lawmakers a vote on delaying Brexit. This option is likely to prove popular, since politicians on both sides of the Brexit debate fear time is running out to secure an orderly withdrawal by March 29.

But how long an extension, and for what purpose, are unclear.

May is proposing an extension until June 30 — but only if she can get Parliament to back her Brexit deal at a third attempt by March 20.

If it is defeated again, May says Britain will have to seek a long extension — with the risk that opponents of Brexit will use that time to soften the terms of departure or even overturn the decision to leave.

An extension requires approval from all 27 remaining EU member countries. They have an opportunity to grant such a request at a March 21-22 summit in Brussels.

But the rest of the EU is reluctant to postpone Brexit beyond the late May elections for the EU's legislature. The U.K. won't be represented in the European Parliament after it quits the EU; its seats already have been given to other countries to fill in the elections.

The bloc is more open to a long delay to allow Britain to radically change course. European Council President Donald Tusk tweeted Thursday he will appeal to the leaders of the other 27 EU nations "to be open to a long extension if the U.K. finds it necessary to rethink its Brexit strategy and build consensus about it."

Whatever Parliament decides this week, it won't end Britain's Brexit crisis. Both lawmakers and the public remain split between backers of a clean break from the EU and those who favor continuing a close relationship, either through a post-Brexit trade deal or by reversing the June 2016 decision to leave.

May also appears to be unwilling to abandon her hard-won deal with the EU on Britain's withdrawal and future relationship with the bloc. Parliament voted it down twice, and May looks set to put it to a third vote next week.

Her Conservative government is holding talks with its Northern Irish political allies and pro-Brexit backbench lawmakers to see if they will abandon opposition to the deal. Their concerns center on a guarantee in the exit deal to maintain an open Irish border after Brexit. The border "backstop" would keep the U.K. tied to EU trade rules, and Brexiteers worry it could trap the country in lockstep with the bloc indefinitely.

The government has tried to assure them that the measure will only be temporary, but so far they are unconvinced.

Some — especially among the opposition — think the only way forward is a snap election that could rearrange the forces in Parliament and break the political deadlock. May has ruled that out, but could come to see it as her only option.

And anti-Brexit campaigners haven't abandoned the idea of a new referendum on remaining in the EU. The government opposes the idea, which at the moment also lacks majority support in Parliament.

However, the political calculus could change if the paralysis drags on. The opposition Labour Party has said it would support a second referendum if other options were exhausted.</s>Image copyright UKParliament/Mark Duffy

MPs have voted by 413 to 202 - a majority of 211 - for Prime Minister Theresa May to ask the EU for a delay to Brexit.

It means the UK may not now leave on 29 March as previously planned.

Mrs May says Brexit could be delayed by three months, to 30 June, if MPs back her deal in a vote next week.

If they reject her deal again then she says she will seek a longer extension - but any delay has to be agreed by the 27 other EU member states.

Most Conservative MPs voted against delaying Brexit - including seven cabinet members - meaning Mrs May had to rely on Labour and other opposition votes to get it through.

But some Labour frontbenchers resigned to defy party orders to abstain on a vote on holding another referendum.

Shadow housing minister Yvonne Fovargue, shadow education minister Emma Lewell-Buck, shadow business minister Justin Madders, Ruth Smeeth, a shadow ministerial aide, and Labour whip Stephanie Peacock, all quit their roles to oppose one.

Theresa May, who has long insisted that the UK will leave the EU on 29 March with or without a withdrawal deal, voted to delay Brexit.

She had been forced to offer MPs a vote on delaying Brexit after they rejected her withdrawal agreement by a large margin, for a second time, and then voted to reject a no-deal Brexit.

She has warned that extending the departure date beyond three months could harm trust in democracy - and mean that the UK would have to take part in May's European Parliament elections.

Please upgrade your browser to view this interactive How did my MP vote on 14 March? Enter a postcode, or the name or constituency of your MP Seat vacant

Downing Street said the government was still preparing for a no-deal Brexit.

Theresa May is planning to hold another "meaningful vote" on her withdrawal deal by Wednesday - after it was overwhelmingly rejected on two previous occasions.

If she wins that vote, she will ask for a one-off extension to Brexit get the necessary legislation through Parliament at an EU summit on Thursday - if not she could ask for a longer extension.

A spokesman for the European Commission said extending Article 50, the mechanism taking the UK out of the EU on 29 March, would need the "unanimous agreement" of all EU member states.

And it would be for the leaders of those states "to consider such a request, giving priority to the need to ensure the functioning of the EU institutions and taking into account the reasons for and duration of a possible extension".

It is still technically possible that we could leave the EU at the end of this month - the law has not changed.

But politically it is now almost entirely out of reach.

The prime minister is accepting she will miss one of the biggest targets she has ever set herself.

Tonight's vote is awkward for another reason, as it again displays the Conservatives' fundamental divisions.

This is more than a quarrel among friends, but a party that is split down the middle on one of the most vital questions this administration has posed, with cabinet ministers, as well as backbench Brexiteers, lining up to disagree with Theresa May.

Read more from Laura

Downing Street said this was a "natural consequence" of Mrs May's decision to offer a free vote on an issue where there are "strong views on all sides of the debate".

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss tweeted: "I voted against a delay to Brexit. As a delay was passed by Parliament, I want to see deal agreed ASAP so we can minimise to short, technical, extension."

Seven cabinet ministers - Ms Truss, Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox, International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt, Commons leader Andrea Leadsom, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling and Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson - voted against the government motion.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Health Secretary Matthew Hancock said "it is still possible to deliver Brexit on the 29 March"

Health Secretary Matthew Hancock said it would be "extremely difficult" but "still possible to deliver Brexit on 29 March with a deal".

He said there were now two options: "To vote for the deal and leave in orderly way or a long delay and I think that would be a disaster."

MPs earlier rejected an attempt to secure another Brexit referendum by 334 votes to 85.

And they also rejected a cross-party plan to allow MPs to take control of the Brexit process to hold a series of votes on the next steps, by the narrow margin of two votes.

Following the votes, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn reiterated his support for a further referendum after earlier ordering his MPs not to vote for one.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Jeremy Corbyn: Public vote an "option to break deadlock"

He said: "Today I reiterate my conviction that a deal can be agreed based on our alternative plan that can command support across the House.

"I also reiterate our support for a People's Vote - not as a political point-scoring exercise but as a realistic option to break the deadlock."

Labour abstained when MPs voted on the referendum proposal, tabled by Independent Group MP Sarah Wollaston, arguing that now was not the right time to push for a public vote.

But 17 Labour MPs defied party orders and voted to oppose another referendum - while 24 Labour MPs rebelled to vote in favour of one.

Among frontbenchers to quit over the issue, Ms Peacock said: "It is with deep regret I tonight resigned from Labour's front bench, because I believe we should respect the result of the 2016 vote to leave the European Union."

Labour's plan to delay Brexit to allow Parliamentary time for MPs to "find a majority for a different approach" was defeated by 318 to 302 votes.</s>LONDON: British lawmakers will vote on Thursday on a government proposal setting out what Prime Minister Theresa May says are the options on how long to delay Brexit.Lawmakers will be asked to approve a statement setting out the option to have a short delay by agreeing to a Brexit deal by March 20 or a longer delay if no deal can be agreed in time.Parliament is not voting at this stage to choose which option Britain should take.The vote comes a day after parliament rejected Britain leaving the EU without a deal after chaotic scenes when May's government struggled to exert any authority over her divided Conservative Party.Voting is due to begin at 1700 GMT and parliament will try again to wrest control of Brexit from the government by submitting alternative proposals, known as amendments, to the government's statement which will be voted on.The speaker has selected four main amendments to be voted on. If any pass, they will either alter the wording of the government statement or replace it entirely. If all the amendments fail, the government proposal will be voted upon last.Below are the details of the government motion and the key amendments proposed by lawmakers. The governing Conservative Party has reportedly told its lawmakers oppose all the amendments.This will form the basis of the debate and says three things:1) Notes parliament has rejected May's deal and a no-deal scenario, and agrees the government will seek an extension to the Brexit negotiating period, which currently ends on March 29.2) Parliament agrees that if lawmakers approve a divorce deal by March 20, the government will seek to agree "a one-off extension" until June 30 to pass legislation needed to smooth Britain's departure from the EU.3) Parliament notes if it has not approved a divorce deal by March 20, then it is "highly likely that the European Council at its meeting the following day would require a clear purpose for any extension, not least to determine its length, and that any extension beyond 30 June 2019 would require the United Kingdom to hold European Parliament elections in May 2019".Led by Independent Group lawmaker Sarah Wollaston, and with support from members of several different parties have submitted an amendment which, if passed, would instruct the government to request a delay to Brexit to allow time to hold a second referendum.Led by lawmaker Hilary Benn, a cross-party group have put forward a proposal which would take control of the parliamentary agenda on March 20 with the aim of forcing a discussion of Brexit options at a later date.This process, which would overturn the usual rule that the government controls what is discussed in parliament, is aimed at trying to find a majority for an alternative Brexit path that would break the parliamentary deadlock.Jeremy Corbyn's opposition Labour Party has submitted an amendment calling for May to use a Brexit delay to give parliament time "to find a majority for a different approach".This amendment, submitted by Labour lawmaker Chris Bryant, seeks to prohibit the government from asking parliament to vote on May's exit deal for a third time, citing parliamentary convention that the same question should not be asked of lawmakers more than once.</s>LONDON — Members of Parliament have voted to reject a no-deal Brexit in a further catastrophic blow to Theresa May's authority.

The House of Commons voted by 312 to 308 to endorse an amendment in the name of Tory MP Caroline Spelman which asked MPs if they opposed the prospect of leaving the European Union without a withdrawal agreement on March 29 under any circumstances.

The government had whipped Tory MPs to oppose the amendment, meaning some ministers who supported it could now be forced to resign.

Victory for the Spelman amendment does not change the law but represents a further significant blow to the authority of the prime minister, who had hoped MPs would instead back her own motion which represented a watered-down version of the plan.

The prime minister had been forced to hold the votes after her Brexit deal was defeated for a second time by a huge margin of 149 House of Commons votes on Tuesday evening.

MPs could now seize greater control of the next stages of Brexit.

There will be a vote on Thursday evening on whether to seek an Article 50 extension, a move which if granted by the EU would delay Brexit beyond March 29, when the UK is currently scheduled to leave.</s>CANTERBURY, England (AP) — It bills itself as the U.K.'s European university because of its study centers in France, Italy, Belgium and Greece. But now the uncertainty over Brexit is creating anxiety for students at the University of Kent.

There is disappointment and anger at lawmakers as they wrangle over Brexit details as the deadline approaches for Britain's withdrawal from the European Union.

For students, just about everything is uncertain: funding levels for international students, freedom to study at their campuses in Europe and the right to live and work in the 27 other EU countries that generations of students have taken for granted.

Omolade Adedapo, a politics student who is a vice president of the Kent Union, says the lack of clarity about the Brexit plan has meant "a lot of anxiety for students on campus" because of the unknowns.

"There is an uncertainty about what is going to happen when we leave, what's going to happen to students studying here, what's going to happen to European students if they want to come here to the U.K.," said Adedapo, 21. "And it's just very, very confusing at the moment."

The lack of information also is clouding matters for British students planning to study in Europe.

James Osei-Anane, a student adviser at the union, said Brexit will likely cost him a chance to study abroad. He's still hoping the plan can be stopped, which remains a possibility if Parliament cannot agree on a withdrawal deal.

"If we do leave the EU, I will not be able to just go and study there, go and work there," he said. "I think it is very much a wasted opportunity if we do leave, and I very much don't want to leave."

The university is unable to offer any information to students concerned about options and fees.

Professor Jeremy Carrette, the university's dean for Europe, said the implications for tuition, visas and health service are not yet known.

"The system is unclear, and until we have a clear position from our government and from the EU, that will remain unclear," he said.</s>LONDON, UK — British lawmakers have voted to delay Brexit, just 15 days before the country is scheduled to leave the European Union.

The House of Commons voted by 412-202 in favor of seeking to postpone the U.K.'s departure for at least three months beyond the scheduled March 29 departure from the EU.

The motion commits Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative government to seek an extension until June 30 if Parliament approves a U.K.-EU withdrawal deal next week.

British lawmakers have already rejected May's EU divorce deal twice and if it fails a third time, the government says the U.K. is looking at a much longer delay to Brexit.

Any extension to Brexit has to be approved by all 27 remaining EU countries.</s>BERLIN (Reuters) - German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said on Thursday that he thought a hard, no-deal Brexit had become a bit less likely than two weeks ago.

The British parliament on Wednesday rejected leaving the European Union without a deal, further weakening Prime Minister Theresa May and paving the way for a vote that could delay Brexit until at least the end of June.</s>As the deteriorating political situation in the United Kingdom makes headlines worldwide, U.S. President Donald Trump has made two separate sets of remarks on Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union in one day, lamenting Theresa May’s failure to heed his advice but praising the “unlimited” potential of a new trade deal with Britain.

The U.S. President took to Twitter on Thursday morning to talk up the future trade deal he hopes the U.S. will be able to strike with a newly liberated UK in the future, should it ever succeed in leaving the European Union.

Striking similar tones to those he and his ambassador to London have made recently about the enormous potential for a trade deal, Trump wrote that “The potential is unlimited” for a “large scale” trade deal between the two allied nations.

But more significant remarks came as the President held a photo call with Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar, who was visiting Washington to kick off St Patrick’s day celebrations. Speaking to journalists, the President revealed that he’d given advice to Theresa May on how to conduct negotiations but his words went unheeded.

Speaking after Brexit negotiations appear to have totally collapsed and as May faces losing control of her own Brexit process in London, Trump said: “I’m surprised at how badly it has all gone from a standpoint of negotiations, but I gave the Prime Minister my ideas of how to negotiate it, she didn’t listen to that and that’s fine but it could have been negotiated in a different manner.”

While the President’s prediction on Britain being able to resurrect its Brexit deal with the European Union before the end of the month deadline was “they’re not going to be able to do that”, he also said he hoped Brexit would be a success and that it would lead to a British-American trade deal, echoing his comments of earlier in the day.

Trump said: “I would like to see that whole situation with Brexit work out… we’re talking to them about trade, we can make a very big trade deal with the UK… it’s very sad to see what’s happening there.”

The President also invited Leo Varadakar to comment on the Brexit process, joking that maybe he shouldn’t do so as it could get the Irish leader in trouble. Nonetheless he obliged, repeating his often repeated talking point that Ireland’s main concern in Brexit is hardship in Northern Ireland, rather than his nation the Republic of Ireland — which it was revealed earlier this year would need a “mega-money” bailout from the European Union to survive the consequences of a full Brexit.

President Trump also took time to criticise the European Union as the slavishly europhile Varadakar looked on quietly, attacking the EU’s unwillingness to cooperate on trade. He said: “we’ve been talking about trade with the European Union, they have been very tough over the years.

“They were unwilling to negotiate with the Obama administration, and unwilling before that, to be honest, I’m not just blaming President Obama. But they’re willing to talk to us, and if they don’t talk to us we’re going to do something which will be quite severe, economically. We’re going to tariff a lot of their products coming in, they treat us very unfairly… for decades.”

Oliver JJ Lane is the editor of Breitbart London — Follow him on Twitter and Facebook</s>LONDON, March 15 — British lawmakers voted overwhelmingly yesterday to seek a delay in Britain's exit from the European Union, setting the stage for Prime Minister Theresa May to renew efforts to get her divorce deal approved by parliament next week.

Lawmakers approved by 412 votes to 202 a motion setting out the option to ask the EU for a short delay if parliament can agree on a Brexit deal by March 20 — or a longer delay if no deal can be agreed in time.

The vote makes it likely that the March 29 departure date set down in law, which May has repeatedly emphasised, is likely to be missed, although it is unclear by how long.

The short delay envisaged in the motion could last until June 30, but the longer extension is not currently time-limited. Either would require unanimous approval from the other 27 EU members, whose leaders meet in a summit next Thursday.

May hopes the threat of a long delay will push Brexit supporters in her Conservative Party and members of the Democratic Unionists, the small Northern Irish party that props up her minority government in parliament, to back her deal at the third attempt.

A new vote on May's deal is likely next week, when those lawmakers must decide whether to back a deal they feel does not offer a clean break from the EU, or reject it and accept that Brexit could be watered down or even thwarted by a long delay.

Her spokesman said ministers had agreed to “redouble their resolve” to secure a deal.

Earlier yesterday, lawmakers voted by 334 to 85 against a second referendum on EU membership. Few opposition lawmakers backed the measure and even campaigners for a “People's Vote” said the time was not yet right for parliament to vote on it.

The government narrowly averted an attempt by lawmakers to seize the agenda on March 20 with the aim of forcing a discussion of alternative Brexit options — possibly limiting May's options when she takes her case for delay to the EU.

Yesterday's vote does not mean a delay is guaranteed; EU consent is needed, and the default date for Britain to leave if there is no agreement is still March 29. May's spokesman said the government was still making preparations for a no-deal exit.

Her authority hit an all-time low this week after a series of parliamentary defeats and rebellions. But she has made clear her deal remains her priority, despite twice being overwhelmingly rejected, in January and again on Tuesday.

May's spokesman said earlier yesterday that she would put that deal, struck after two-and-a-half years of talks with the EU, to another vote “if it was felt that it were worthwhile.”

Britons voted by 52-48 per cent in a 2016 referendum to leave the EU, a decision that has not only divided the main political parties but also exposed deep rifts in British society.

Sterling, which swung more wildly this week than at any point since 2017, fell yesterday from nine-month highs as investors turned cautious about May's chances of getting her Brexit deal approved next week.

US President Donald Trump, who had earlier said he looked forward to negotiating a “large scale” trade deal with Britain after Brexit, added to May's headaches by criticising her handling of the crisis.

“I will tell you, I'm surprised at how badly it's all gone from the standpoint of a negotiation,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office as he met Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar.

“But I gave the prime minister my ideas on how to negotiate it and I think you would have been successful. She didn't listen to that, and that's fine. But I think it could have been negotiated in a different manner, frankly.”

Business leaders warn that tearing up 40 years of agreements with the EU and its market of 500 million people without a transition deal would cause chaos. Brexit supporters say that, in the longer term, it would let Britain forge trade deals across the world and thrive.

EU leaders meeting next Thursday will consider pressing Britain to delay Brexit by at least a year, European Council President Donald Tusk said.

“I will appeal to the EU27 (remaining members) to be open to a long extension if the UK finds it necessary to rethink its Brexit strategy and build consensus around it,” he said.

France said that a short Brexit delay merely to discuss May's existing deal was "out of the question".

But there was no immediate sign of any major shift in the views of Conservative hardline eurosceptics who have so far thwarted the prime minister.

Lawmaker Andrew Bridgen accused her of pursuing a "scorched earth" policy of destroying all other Brexit options to leave lawmakers with a choice between her deal and a long delay.

May also needs to win over the Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which has so far refused to back her plan.

DUP leader Arlene Foster said the party was working with the government to try to find a way of leaving the EU with a deal. — Reuters
The House of Commons of the United Kingdom votes 412 to 202 to seek a delay to Brexit of three months if UK Prime Minister Theresa May's deal can be passed at a third attempt next week, else significantly longer. The delay, which means the UK will no longer leave the European Union on March 29, will have to be unanimously approved by all other 27 EU member states.