Brexit: 'Extra time' may be needed, says Jeremy Hunt

The foreign secretary says Brexit may be delayed if a deal is reached near 29 March

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt says "extra time" may be needed to finalise legislation for Brexit.

Mr Hunt said a possible delay in the UK's departure from the EU beyond the 29 March deadline depended on the progress made in the coming weeks.

The PM is seeking "alternative arrangements" to the backstop, but the EU says it will not renegotiate.

Parliament's February break has been cancelled, which No 10 said showed all steps were being taken to avoid delay.

The UK is due to leave the European Union at 23:00 on 29 March. The backstop is an "insurance" policy to stop the return of checks on goods and people along the Northern Ireland border.

Earlier this month, Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom said that the EU may be prepared to grant the UK a "couple of extra weeks" beyond the 29 March deadline to finalise preparations for Brexit.

And BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said there had been "growing chatter" about a potential delay and a potential extension to Article 50 - the mechanism by which the UK leaves the EU.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the government "has had two-and-a-half years to negotiate and has failed to do so".

But the prime minister's official spokesman said the government remained committed to leaving the EU on 29 March.

"The fact that recess won't be taking place shows you that we are taking all available steps to make sure that 29 March is our exit date," the spokesman said.

Downing Street was also discussing the possibility of Parliament sitting for extra hours in the run up to Brexit, the spokesman said.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said the government was "not talking about extensions" to Brexit at the moment, saying the focus should be "getting on with the job of completing the deal".

Mr Hunt told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "It is true that if we ended up approving the deal in the days before the 29 March, then we might need some extra time to pass critical legislation.

"But if we are able to make progress sooner, then that might not be necessary. We can't know at this stage exactly which of those scenarios would happen."

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Theresa May has been talking to a variety of MPs and EU leaders, including President of the European Council Donald Tusk and the Irish Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, after MPs voted on Tuesday for her to make changes to the backstop.

Mr Hunt said it was a "challenging situation" and the government was "not ruling out" any potential solutions to the Irish border issue.

He said the commitment to the Good Friday Agreement - which protects against the return of a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland - would need to be demonstrated.

The EU's concerns that the UK could "access the single market by the back door" would also need to be alleviated, he said.

"If we can overcome those two issues, which I think we can, then we will be able to have substantive discussions," he said.

The backstop was one of the main reasons Mrs May's Brexit deal was voted down in Parliament by a record margin earlier in January because critics say a different status for Northern Ireland could threaten the existence of the UK and fear that the backstop could become permanent.

Alternatives to the backstop that the prime minister has said she wants to discuss with EU leaders include:

  • a "trusted trader" scheme to avoid physical checks on goods flowing through the border

  • "mutual recognition" of rules with the EU

  • "technological" solutions

She also wants to discuss a time limit on the backstop and a "unilateral exit" mechanism - both options ruled out by the EU in the past.

The EU's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier said on Wednesday that the Irish backstop was "part and parcel" of the UK's Brexit deal and would not be renegotiated.

Several Conservative MPs have been spotted going to meetings in Downing Street, including former Brexit minister Steve Baker, Iain Duncan Smith, Mrs May's close ally Damian Green and Nicky Morgan.

Ms Morgan, a former education secretary, said she was there to discuss a plan known as the "Malthouse Compromise".

Engineered by both Leavers and Remainers, the proposal includes extending the transition period for a year and protecting EU citizens' rights, instead of using the backstop.

Union officials have also been meeting with government officials in the Cabinet Office to discuss Mrs May's Brexit plan.

A Trades Union Congress spokesman said the prime minister's deal came "nowhere close" to offering the safeguards desired for working people.

"The strongest possible protection for workers' rights would come from sticking by single market and customs union rules," he said.

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Labour MP John Mann was among those meeting the prime minister

When asked about a Times article that said Mrs May was preparing to entice Labour MPs to vote for her deal with money for constituencies, Labour MP John Mann said a group of 10 met the prime minister two weeks ago.

Mr Mann, who was also spotted in Downing Street on Thursday, told the BBC the group asked for "a significant amount of money" for poorer areas, "so that we can actually move forward as we leave the EU".

But he said he had voted for the deal already, "so I can't be bribed".

"There's no expectation, this isn't transactional politics. We're asking for money for areas that have not had their fair share in the past," he said.

'Incredibly vague'

Meanwhile, Mrs Leadsom told MPs that "in light of the significant decisions taken by the House this week" she was giving the House notice that "there are currently no plans to bring forward a motion to agree dates for the February recess".

Parliament had been due to rise for recess on Thursday, 14 February and return on Monday, 25 February.

Mrs Leadsom said she realised it was short notice, but said their constituents "would expect that the House is able to continue to make progress at this important time".

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn accused the government of running down the clock on Brexit.

He said: "We delayed the parliamentary vote from 11 December until January - and then lost by the biggest majority ever against a government.

"Now we're going back to Brussels but we are very unclear about what we're going back to Brussels to do and when I asked the prime minister about this yesterday, she was incredibly vague.

"It is possible that there will have to be an extension in order to get an agreement because we cannot leave the EU on March 29 without an agreement. Crashing out would mean problems of transport, problems of medicine supply, problems of supply to the food processing industry that does just in time deliveries - and that simply is not acceptable.

"This government has had two-and-a-half years to negotiate and has failed to do so."

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