Sometimes Remainers mirror Brexiteers in not really considering the EU side of Brexit. Last night, when the Cooper bill passed with one vote, was such a moment. ‘Hurray, we ruled out a no-deal Brexit!’ seemed to be the general feeling from Remainers in the media. Similarly, those advocating for a no-deal Brexit fumed as the Cooper bill moved to the Lords.
But they all ignored a tiny little detail: that Brussels will need to agree to an extension. At the moment, however, this is really not certain. There are both ideological and practical stumbling blocks on the EU 27 side, which are massively complicated by the continued lack of clarity from the UK.
The most recent thinking is that the UK has two options. Either it votes for an agreement (WA + some form of future declaration) before 12 April and has a short extension up to 22 May, or the UK asks for a long extension if an agreement hasn’t been reached by Brexit day.
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