'It was not clear if she had a plan at all': how May's night at the summit unfolded

The Guardian

Theresa May usually gets less than an hour to explain her Brexit plans to EU27 leaders at regular summits. Finally, with only eight days to go until the original deadline, the British prime minister was granted a full 90 minutes in the multicoloured summit room in the Europa headquarters. For the EU, it was not time well spent.

“It was 90 minutes of nothing,” one EU source said. “She didn’t even give clarity if she is organising a vote. Asked three times what she would do if she lost the vote, she couldn’t say. It was fucking awful. Dreadful. Evasive even by her standards.”

About a dozen EU leaders peppered the British prime minister with questions. Did she have a plan B? How was she going to gain a majority? When would she hold the Commons vote? “She very much dodged these questions,” a second EU source said. A third source said: “She was not convincing. It was not clear if she had a plan B; it was not clear if she had a plan at all.”

May knew the EU’s patience was at breaking point. In case she needed a reminder, Luxembourg’s prime minister, Xavier Bettel, had said Brexit was like waiting for Godot “and Godot is never coming”. Over coffee and biscuits, she thanked EU leaders for their patience and said it would be helpful if the UK could delay Brexit until 30 June.

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Once she had left the room, leaders vented their frustrations. “Maybe we should just let them go,” Bettel said, a remark made more in frustration than in earnest, according to one observer. France’s Emmanuel Macron said the May’s presentation had led him to downgrade his prognosis of the deal passing in Westminster from 10% to 5%. Donald Tusk, the European council president, replied: “You are very optimistic.”