Brexit news - live: Donald Tusk tells MEPs long extension ensures 'all options on table', as Change UK officially becomes political party
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Donald Tusk has told MEPs a long extension to the Brexit process allows for “all options” to remain on the table, including the possibility of a second referendum.
In reference to claims from Brexiteers such as Jacob Rees-Mogg in recent weeks, Mr Tusk added: “I know that some have expressed fear that the UK might want to disrupt the EU‘s functioning during this time.
“But the EU did not give in to such scaremongering... in fact, since the very beginning of the Brexit process the UK has been a constructive and responsible EU member state. So we have no reason to believe that this should change.”
The European council president also warned those opposed to Brexit not to "give in to fatalism" by accepting the UK's departure from the bloc, as he said both Europe and Britain needed "dreams and dreamers".
“During the European Council one of the leaders warned us not to be dreamers and that we shouldn’t think that Brexit can be reversed,” Mr Tusk told MEPs in Strasbourg.
His remarks came as Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission president, said the EU had "nothing to gain" from the disruption a no-deal Brexit would bring to the UK.
He said he had adopted the "necessary contingency measures", but said only those who seek to undermine the global legal order would benefit from such an exit. "We have adopted the necessary contingency measures and we are ready for a no-deal Brexit," he told MEPs.
"But our union has nothing to gain from great disruption in the United Kingdom. The only ones who would benefit are those who resent multilateralism and seek to undermine the global legal order."
Mr Juncker made the comments as he addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg on last week's European Council summit at which Theresa May was offered a six-month Brexit delay.
Elsewhere, it also emerged that more than 3,000 people had applied to stand as candidates for Change UK during the European Parliament elections on 23 May, as it was officially registered as a political party by the Electoral Commission.
This liveblog has now closed, but you can see Tuesday's updates below
Welcome to The Independent's politics liveblog. This morning both John-Claude Juncker, the European Commission president, and the European Council president Donald Tusk have been addressing MEPs in the European Parliament.
On the Article 50 extensions agreed at last week's Brexit summit, Mr Tusk said:
"In my view it has a few advantages. Only a long extension ensures that all options remain on the table, such as ratification of the current withdrawal agreement, or extra time to rethink Brexit, if that were the risk of the British people.
"Second, it allows the EU to focus on other priorities that are at least as important, such as trade with the US or the new EU leadership.
"I know that some have expressed fear that the UK might want to disrupt the EU's functioning during this time. But the EU did not give in to such scaremongering... in fact, since the very beginning of the Brexit process the UK has been a constructive and responsible EU member state. So we have no reason to believe that this should change.
"Third, the flexible extension delays the possibly of a no-deal Brexit by six months. Thanks to this millions of people and businesses have gained at least some certainty in this unstable time."
European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker also told MEPs that the EU is "ready" for a no-deal Brexit but that the EU has "nothing to gain" from the "disruption" it would cause the UK.
"We have adopted the necessary contingency measures and we are ready for a no-deal Brexit," he said at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
"But our union has nothing to gain from great disruption in the United Kingdom. The only ones who would benefit are those who resent multilateralism and seek to undermine the global legal order."
Ahead of the European elections next on 23 May, political parties and groups at Westminster are - at the eleventh hour - deciding on their MEP candidates for next month.
According to The Times, 3,000 people have applied to stand as candidates for Change UK at the election. The group of 11 MPs, who formed The Independent Group earlier this year, will meet this week and select a shortlist to 100.
This morning, the European Council president Donald Tusk insisted that British MEPs elected in May must be treated as "full members" - despite the UK's intention to leave the EU by the renewed deadline of 31 October.
"One of the consequences of our decision [to extend Article 50] is that the UK will hold European elections next month," he said.
"We should approach this seriously as UK members of the European Parliament will be there for several months - maybe longer.
"They will be full members of the Parliament with all the rights and obligations. I am speaking about this today because I have strongly opposed the idea that during this further extension the UK should be treated as a second category member state. No, it cannot.
"Therefore I also ask you to reject similar ideas if they were to be voiced in this House."
Nigel Farage, the former Ukip leader who launched the Brexit Party just last week, has claimed his new party could win a general election if both Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn agreed a to a customs union compromise in their ongoing talks.
He told the European Parliament: "The Brexit Party will sweep the board in these
elections and there is only one way it can be stopped and that is if the governing party of Mrs May and the opposition of Mr Corbyn come together and agree to a permanent customs union, and indeed effectively membership of the single market.
"If that happens, the Brexit Party won't win the European elections but it will win the general election because the betrayal will be so complete and utter, so I don't believe it's going to happen."
Another comment here from the European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker as he addressed MEPs gathered in Strasbourg. It's very relatable for everyone at Westminster.
The European Parliament's chief Brexit coordinator Guy Verhofstadt has vented his increasing frustration at Westminster's reaction to the extension of the Article 50 negotiating period.
This morning he tweeted: "The pressure to come to a cross-party agreement over Brexit is now gone. Conservatives & Labour, will again run down the clock. The proof of this? The first thing the House of Commons did after last week's extension, was to go on holidays."
Labour leaderJeremy Corbyn, who is out campaigning for the local elections next month, has been asked what progress there had been with the Theresa May's team over a Brexit compromise. But he said "we've lost a lot of time by the dithering" of the government on bringing issues to parliament.
"There has to be access to European markets and above all there has to be a dynamic relationship to protect the conditions and rights that we've got for environment and consumer workplace rights," he said.
"We've put those cases very robustly to the government and there's no agreement as yet, we've put the case, we've had quite interesting, quite long technical discussions particularly on environment regulations."
He added: "The government doesn't appear to be shifting the red lines because they've got a big pressure in the Tory party that actually wants to turn this country into a deregulated low-tax society which will do a deal with Trump.
"I don't want to do that."
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