British govt confirms vote on Friday to ensure UK can delay Brexit until May 22

A spokesperson for the government’s leader in parliament Andrea Leadsom has confirmed that the motion being debated on Friday will be designed to ensure that the UK can still get an Article 50 extension until May 22. This would be in line with the conditions set by the EU at last week’s summit. “Tomorrow’s motion will need to be compliant with both the speaker’s ruling and the EU council’s decision on conditionality relating to exit on May 22,” the spokesperson said on Thursday. “We will look to table the motion as soon as possible today, in order to avoid asking for another extension and the requirement to undertake European parliament elections.” Britain’s parliament will discuss a motion relating to Brexit on Friday, Reuters quoted Leadsom as saying. However, it is not yet clear whether this would result in a formal third vote on the government’s Brexit deal. Last week, parliament’s speaker, John Bercow, said another vote on the deal could only be held if it was different to the one lawmakers have already rejected.