Prime Minister Theresa May has brought a new word to the Brexit lexicon: compromise.
May offered Tuesday to hold talks with the leader of the opposition in an attempt to avoid a chaotic departure from the European Union in just 10 days.
Most politicians, economists and business groups think leaving the world's largest trading bloc without an agreement would be damaging for the EU and disastrous for the U.K. It would lead to tariffs imposed on trade between Britain and the EU, customs checks that could cause gridlock at ports and which could spark shortages of essential goods.
On Tuesday, she said she would be prepared to compromise with her opponents — potentially pledging to keep closer ties with the bloc than she wants — in order to win their backing for the withdrawal deal.After almost two years of negotiations, Britain and the EU struck a divorce deal in November, laying out the terms of the departure from the bloc and giving a rough outline of future relations.
Now May is changing tack, saying she will talk to the opposition on compromise proposals for Britain's future relations with the bloc in a bid to get their support for the deal.May's offer of opposition talks suggest she is pivoting to a softer form of Brexit than the one she has described for almost three years.
Tweaking her deal to adopt a customs union could gain May valuable votes in Parliament. It also would likely be welcomed by the EU and would allow Britain to leave the bloc in an orderly fashion in the next few months. The EU is frustrated with the impasse and has said it will only grant another postponement if Britain comes up with a whole new Brexit plan. Still, EU Council President Donald Tusk has urged the bloc to "be patient" and give Britain a Brexit extension if it plans to change course.Parliament on Monday also narrowly rejected a proposal for a new referendum on whether to leave the EU or remain.
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