SUNDAY TIMES WEB DESK: May tore up her steadfast strategy and sought Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s support in a surprise last-minute gesture that could determine the fate of the country and her government.
Her divorce deal with the other 27 EU nations has been rejected three times by parliament and patience is wearing thin in Brussels as an April 12 deadline to end Britain’s 46-year membership nears with no agreement in sight.
The premier said Tuesday she would seek another “short” Brexit extension at an EU leaders’ summit in Brussels on April 10.
She crucially added that she was now willing to bend her previous principles and listen to proposals for much closer post-Brexit trade relations with the bloc than most in her Conservative party were ready to accept.
Both sides described Wednesday’s meeting as preliminary but constructive.
“Today’s talks were constructive, with both sides showing flexibility and a commitment to bring the current Brexit uncertainty to a close,” a Downing Street spokesman said.
“We have agreed a programme of work to ensure we deliver for the British people, protecting jobs and security.”
A Labour spokesman said the two held “constructive exploratory discussions about how to break the Brexit deadlock”.