24 February
Three British Cabinet ministers are calling for the country to delay its exit from the European Union if no deal is agreed in Parliament in the next few days.
Business Secretary Greg Clark, Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd and Justice Secretary David Gauke say a no-deal Brexit would severely damage the economy and national security.
They published a joint statement in the Daily Mail on Saturday saying that time is running out as Britain's March 29 exit from the EU approaches. They say if Parliament cannot approve a deal in the coming days, it would be better to leave at a later date with a deal.
The BBC says this is the first time members of Prime Minister Theresa May's Cabinet have made a public appeal for a delay. Hardline Brexit backers in Parliament reacted by saying Cabinet members who do not support the prime minister should resign.
May is adamant about delivering Brexit, but she is struggling to seek concessions from the EU on the Irish backstop. It is designed to prevent a return of a hard border between Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland, which a member of the EU.
Three Conservative members of parliament left the party last week because of May's Brexit policy.—NHK
