Brexit news: Czech prime minister tells Theresa May personally to hold second referendum and back remain

The pair spoke on the phone at the weekend, Andrej Babiš said

Jon Stone
Brussels
Wednesday 13 March 2019 17:57 GMT
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EU leaders have begun directly urging Theresa May to hold a fresh Brexit referendum, amid frustration on the continent at the political crisis raging in Britain.

Andrej Babiš, the Czech prime minister, revealed on Wednesday that he had called Ms May at the weekend and urged her to hold another vote – with a view to staying in the EU.

It comes after French president Emmanuel Macron and other EU figures warned that they would only grant an extension to Article 50 if the UK could come up with a reason why it needed more time.

“On Saturday I called with the British Prime Minister Theresa May,” Mr Babiš said in a tweet.

“We solved Brexit. I told her that the best solution would be for the UK to remain in the European Union.

“That is why I believe it is worth holding a new referendum. She refused, but I still don't think it was impossible.”

MPs will vote on Thursday on whether to order the Government to seek an extension of Article 50, but whether the EU would grant one is less than clear-cut, with some member states more enthusiastic than others.

A new referendum would require a long extension, with the UK’s own Electoral Commission estimating that a delay as long as six months could be required to stage another vote.

Another option on the table is a shorter extension – which would have the advantage of meaning the UK did not have to participate in EU Parliament elections due for May. But a more limited period would probably not be enough for a public vote.

Czech Republic Prime Minister Andrej Babis

In September Maltese prime minister Joseph Muscat said that support for a second referendum was at the time “almost unanimous” among EU leaders – though many have declined to speak out openly on one. EU leaders have repeatedly said that they respect the choice of the British public.

Mr Babiš himself said then that he was “very unhappy” that the UK was leaving and that “it would be better maybe to make another referendum and the people in the meantime could change their view”.

Britain will crash out of the EU on the 29 March without a deal if it does not ratify the withdrawal agreement, get an extension from the other member states, or unilaterally cancel Brexit. But there appears to be little sign of the prime minister getting her plan through, after it was rejected a second time by MPs despite concessions from the EU.

The EU has also ruled out any further negotiations and said any solution to the current impasse must be found in London.

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