Delay better than the PM's deal, says Owen Paterson MP

Donald Tusk, president of the EU Commission, suggested a 12-month 'flexible extension' to Britain's membership of the bloc as 'the only sensible way out' of the present deadlock.

North Shropshire MP Mr Paterson said that while he did not welcome any delay to Britain's exit from the EU, it was still preferable to Prime Minister Theresa May's withdrawal agreement.

But he warned that the longer the process dragged on for, the more restless the public would become.

However, Shrewsbury and Atcham MP Daniel Kawczynski said he was fiercely opposed to any lengthy delay to Brexit, insisting it would be best for Britain to leave next month.

Montgomeryshire MP Glyn Davies said he now feared Brexit would not happen and Britain would be plunged into an early general election.

Mrs May has written to Mr Tusk asking for an extension until June 30, saying that preparations were now taking place for Britain to hold elections for the EU parliamentary elections next month. But she said she would want a 'termination clause' enabling Britain to quit the EU sooner if an agreement could be found.

Mr Kawczynski said asking people to elect MEPs would be a disaster.

"I very much oppose a lengthy extension, and want to stick to leaving on May 23," he said.

"I think participating in the European elections would be disastrous.

"I don't think a customs union is in our interests, and I would be strongly opposed to another referendum."

Mr Paterson, who last week called for Mrs May to bring forward her resignation, said he too wanted to leave as quickly as possible.

He said: "I want to leave next week, the law of the land says it should be next week, and I don't think we should be seeking an extension.

"But if we were faced with a choice of signing up to the appalling withdrawal agreement, or an extension, then I would go for an extension as the lesser of the two evils.

"At least then we would be still in the game, we can still get out. If we sign up to the appalling withdrawal agreement there is not way out."

Mr Paterson said the public mood had been hardening over the past few weeks, and people just wanted the matter resolved.

"All the current polling shows people just want to leave, and anecdotally people come up to me all the time saying 'just get on with it'," he said.

"If we left next week, we would get the initiative back, we would still have £39 billion to play with, but most importantly we would be in a much more powerful position in negotiations."

He warned that the longer the Brexit process went on for, the more difficult it would be to deliver the referendum result.

Mr Davies said the Prime Minister had been put in an impossible position which left her with little option but to seen a delay.

"At the moment I think we are heading for no Brexit, and I also think we are heading for an early general election," he said.

"I supported the withdrawal agreement from the beginning. Some of my colleagues refused to support it and they will reap the whirlwind."

Ludlow MP Philip Dunne said he supported the principle of a flexible extension, but did not want to see a delay that would force Britain to take part in the European elections.

"What we need is a pragmatic solution that will allow the UK to formally leave the EU as soon as possible," he said.

"I would support a flexible extension if it facilitates us to get a deal done so we don't participate in the European elections and leave the EU as soon as possible."

Meanwhile, a former Shropshire Ukip candidate has given his backing to English Democrat leader Robin Tilbrook, who is fighting a court battle to prevent a delay to Brexit.

Mr Tilbrook is arguing that Britain has already left the EU because due process was not followed surrounding the first extension beyond March 29.

Henry Curteis, who was the Ukip candidate for Shrewsbury and Atcham at the 2001 General Election, has contributed to the cost of Mr Tilbrook's court battle.

Mr Curteis said: "The government knew it would be unable to achieve a new Act Of Parliament to bring a delay in Brexit. This would have been necessary to overwrite The Withdrawal Act of 2017, which took Britain out of the EU on the 29th March 2019."

He said the resolution the Government brought to ratify the extension used a mechanism that could only be used to specify how laws are applied after Brexit.

Mr Curteis said the Government could not claim to be acting under Royal Prerogative, because the case brought forward by pro-EU campaigner Gina Miller held that EU withdrawal must be effected by Act Of Parliament, and not by the Royal Prerogative.