EU expresses doubts on alternatives to May’s Brexit plans

If Britain wanted to pursue Brexit — rather than revoke the Article 50 exit process altogether — there were only two options: “Either the UK asks for an extension beyond May 22, in which case it must participate in the European Parliament elections, or it must adopt the withdrawal agreement.” While Emily Thornberry, the foreign affairs spokesman of the UK opposition Labour party, suggested on Sunday that a “side protocol” could allow the UK to sidestep the European elections if it was still in the bloc, Jean-Claude Piris, a former senior EU lawyer, emphasised on Twitter that the EU had taken a final decision on the matter “which has been formally accepted by the UK government”.