Theresa May has told the UK public in a statement that she is not to blame for the UK not departing the EU next Friday, as she placed the blame on MPs in the House of Commons.
On the 1,000th day since the UK voted to leave the EU, the Prime Minister said “I am not prepared to delay Brexit any further than 30 June”. Mrs May wrote to Donald Tusk on Wednesday to request an extension of Article 50 to the end of June, the last date that would prevent the UK having to take part in EU elections.
If Theresa May is unable to pass her deal through the House of Commons next week, the UK could face leaving with a no deal on the 29 March.
Following her statement, the PM has been criticised for blaming MPs. Labour MP Lisa Nandy said “She’s attacking the MPs whose votes she needs. It will have cost her support”. Meanwhile, some of Mrs May’s own MPs and ministers have also made their opposing stance to the PM’s latest move clear. Some Brexiteers think the UK should still leave next week under a no-deal scenario, whereas others support a much longer Brexit delay.
At this point, nothing has changed – the Prime Minister’s Brexit strategy remains the same and the UK still doesn’t have approval from the EU for a Brexit delay beyond next Friday. On Thursday, the PM will head to Brussels for meetings with the EU, before a showdown next week, should Mrs May be able to get her deal in front of the House of Commons once more. 
