As the Brexit deadline approaches, France seems unwilling to extend it further down the road, saying there will be a clear ‘NO’ if the UK attempts to delay it for another three months after October 31.
The stern warning comes just days after the UK Parliament passed a bill that obliges Prime Minister Boris Johnson to seek an extension of the October 31 deadline from Brussels if no Brexit deal has by then been negotiated with the EU.
If the bloc proposes a different divorce date, then Downing Street still has to accept it within two days.
But that’s unlikely to be the case. “In the current circumstances, it’s no!” French Foreign Minister Jean Yves le Drian said, as cited by AFP.
“We are not going to go through this every three months.”
Expanding on his comments, Le Drian said the brewing political turmoil is “very worrying,” and urged London to shine more light on its future Brexit tactics.
“The British must tell us what they want.”
The chief diplomat had earlier predicted that a no-deal Brexit is “the most likely scenario,” warning that there will be inevitable drawbacks to the UK’s departure from the EU.
Meanwhile, Johnson has ruled out any possibility of asking for another delay, telling MPs that he “would rather be dead in a ditch.”
“It achieves absolutely nothing. What on earth is the point of further delay?” he told the Commons last week.