- Title: EU lawmakers vote for extension to Britain's scheduled departure date
- Date: 18th September 2019
- Summary: STRASBOURG, FRANCE (SEPTEMBER 16, 2019) (REUTERS) FLAGS OUTSIDE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT EXTERIOR OF EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
- Embargoed: 2nd October 2019 12:06
- Keywords: UK Brexit EU Northern Ireland Barnier Irish Backstop Farage Verhofstadt European Parliament Weber
- Location: STRASBOURG, FRANCE
- City: STRASBOURG, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: European Union,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA002AX6QLAF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:The European Parliament formally called on Wednesday (September 18) for Britain to be granted another extension to allow more time for London to agree the terms of its withdrawal.
The resolution, which is non-binding but carries political weight, passed with 544 in favour, 126 against and 38 abstentions.
EU leaders will meet for a make-or-break summit in Brussels on October 17-18, just a fortnight before Brexit is due to materialise more than three years after Britons voted to leave.
Many EU lawmakers warned against a no-deal, both to avoid an economic shock and because they do not want to see Britain abandon its commitments to EU social and environmental standards and become a low-tax, low-regulation rival.
"We will not accept a Singapore on the North Sea," said former Belgian prime minister Guy Verhofstadt, a liberal EU lawmaker and the coordinator of the parliament's Brexit committee.
In an at times bad-tempered debate underscoring general weariness on the tortured issue of Britain's pending departure, senior EU lawmakers took jabs at the noisy contingent of British Eurosceptic deputies in the chamber.
Manfred Weber, leader of the centre-right EPP group, took aim at British plans for greater sovereignty at a time when the parliament in Westminster has been suspended by Johnson.
(Production: Clement Rossignol, Jorrit Donner-Wittkopf) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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