UK not looking to delay Article 50, says Brexit secretary Stephen Barclay

The UK is not looking to extend Article 50, Brexit secretary Stephen Barclay has said, rebuffing reports that officials were seeking to move the 29 March deadline date.

The Telegraph reported that British and European officials are discussing the possibility of extending Britain’s formal notice to withdraw from the EU.

“The government’s policy is clear on this, the prime minister has said it on many an occasion: We are leaving the European Union on the 29th of March. We are not looking to extend,” Barclay told Sky News.

The Telegraph cited three unidentified EU sources as saying British officials had been “putting out feelers” and “testing the waters” on an extension of Article 5 amid fears a Brexit deal will not be approved by March 29.

Plans for a no-deal Brexit have been ramped up in recent days while Prime Minister Theresa May is preparing for MPs to vote on her withdrawal agreement on 15 January.

If the deal is rejected, Britain faces leaving the EU on 29 March without a deal.

Yesterday around 90 lorries rehearsed a no-deal Brexit journey from a disused Kent airport to the port of Dover.