Editorial | Parliamentary recess offers Britain time to sort out Brexit mess

A break from Brexit is welcome. After months of intense wrangling, raucous debate and tense parliamentary votes, the deadline for Britain’s departure from the European Union has been pushed back until the end of October. Parliament, in recess until after the Easter holiday, appears no closer to approving the terms of Britain’s withdrawal. There is a need for reflection and for renewed efforts to find a proposal capable of securing sufficient support among MPs.

Prime Minister Theresa May has seen the deal she struck with the EU rejected by parliament three times. A new approach was needed. Her decision to reach out to opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn is, therefore, welcome. But the negotiations have a long way to go. Both sides are talking positively about them in public. But the question is whether they are both prepared to compromise in order to reach an agreement capable of winning support in parliament. May has, so far, refused to budge from her so-called red lines. She is not in favour of a customs union or a second referendum on Brexit. But her rigid approach has not been successful. If she is to make progress and honour her promise to deliver Brexit, May must give ground.

There are big risks for both the Conservative Party she leads and the Labour opposition as the negotiations continue. Both parties are divided on how best to achieve Brexit. Any agreement they reach is likely to prompt defections. But this cross-party approach at least offers some hope of breaking the deadlock. If sufficient common ground can be found between the two biggest parties, there is just a chance their plan will secure enough votes in parliament. If that fails, it is hoped that they will, at least, be able to agree on a mechanism for future parliamentary votes on the issue intended to find a solution.

Parliament has, so far, agreed only that Britain should not leave without a deal. There were 12 “indicative votes” testing the views of MPs on different Brexit options. They were all voted down. The closest was a defeat for a proposed customs union with the EU, which failed by three votes. That would seem the most likely to succeed.

Time is short. Elections for the EU parliament will be held on May 23, and May’s party is lagging behind in the polls. If Britain is to avoid the elections, it will need to find a breakthrough quickly. The prospects do not look good. Ultimately, it may be that another referendum is needed to break the deadlock. Support for a new vote is growing.