European elections will definitely go ahead, government confirms

European parliament elections in the UK will definitely go ahead the government has confirmed as it announced there is not enough time to deliver Brexit before May 23.

David Lidington, the de facto Deputy Prime Minster, made the announcement on Tuesday afternoon, less than an hour before talks between the government and Labour over breaking the stalemate were due to resume.

Theresa May had repeatedly said she did not want the elections to take place, but the terms of the extension deal agree with the EU in April mean the UK has to take part if Brexit had not taken place by May 23.

However, if the UK passes the relevant legislation before July 2, the 73 MEPs elected in May would not take their seats in the European Parliament.

Lidington said: "So far, every time there has been a majority against leaving with any particularly orderly deal, so we are engaged as a government in talks with the opposition, and with others across parliament, to try and find a way forward that has maximum possible support amongst politicians of all political parties.

"But what this now means, given how little time there is, is that it is regrettably not going to be possible to finish that process before the date that is legally due for European parliamentary elections.

"We very much hoped that we would be able to get our exit sorted and have the treaty concluded so that those elections did not have to take place. But legally, they do have to take place – unless our withdrawal has been given legal effect – so those will now go ahead."

The announcement came just hours after former Ukip leader Nigel Farage launched the European election campaign for his new outfit, The Brexit Party.

Speaking at a press conference in London, he said: "A vote for the Brexit Party is a vote for a WTO Brexit – no ifs, no buts.

"It is also a vote for our elected MEPs to play a significant role in the negotiation process."

Opinion polling carried out in recent weeks suggests The Brexit Party is on course to top the vote, with Labour in second place and the Conservatives languishing in third place.