EU's Tusk proposes long Brexit delay but not more than a year

BRUSSELS: EU Council President Donald Tusk on Tuesday urged the bloc's leaders to allow Britain to delay Brexit for up to a year, as London and Brussels scramble to avoid a chaotic "no deal".

Prime Minister Theresa May has asked for Brexit to be postponed to June 30 but Tusk said the evidence of recent months gave "little reason to believe" divided British lawmakers would ratify a divorce deal by then.

"This is why I believe we should also discuss an alternative, longer extension," Tusk wrote, in a letter inviting EU leaders to the emergency Brexit summit he will host in Brussels on Wednesday.

"One possibility would be a flexible extension, which would last only as long as necessary and no longer than one year, as beyond that date we will need to decide unanimously on some key European projects."

Under this so-called "flextension" arrangement, Britain could leave the bloc as soon as parliament ratified the withdrawal agreement.

"Importantly, a long extension would provide more certainty and predictability by removing the threat of constantly shifting cliff-edge dates," Tusk wrote.

"Furthermore, in the event of a continued stalemate, such a longer extension would allow the UK to rethink its Brexit strategy."

May made a whirlwind tour of Berlin and Paris on Tuesday to plead with Europe's key powerbrokers for more time to try to get her divorce deal approved by lawmakers -- who have already voted it down three times.

To answer fears Britain could exploit a long delay to disrupt EU budget planning and reforms as a way to try to win further Brexit concessions, Tusk recommended any postponement come with strict conditions.

These would include no reopening of the near 600-page withdrawal agreement signed by May and EU leaders in November and a promise from London that it would maintain "sincere cooperation" during the extension.