Theresa May's plan for another Brexit delay has gone down badly in Europe

British Prime Minister Theresa May has asked the European Union for another delay to the bedeviled Brexit process -- and it hasn't gone down well.

May said she wanted to extend the Brexit deadline to June 30 -- a date rejected by the EU when the UK last sought a delay -- to give more time to break the political impasse in London.

But EU ambassadors, meeting in Brussels ahead of an emergency summit of EU leaders next week, questioned the reasoning behind the short extension. There are also fears that, If granted, it could cast a cloud of uncertainty over elections to the European Parliament in May.

One diplomatic source said two possible responses to the letter were discussed at the meeting, which was the ambassadors' first opportunity to discuss May's request.

France, which has taken a firmer line over Britain's demands, floated the idea of offering only a two-week extension, in order to prepare financial markets for Britain leaving the EU without a negotiated deal.

The other option, floated by Germany, was to demand more information from May, in order to justify offering a longer extension.

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There was no support, it would appear, for the UK's suggested June 30 date.

The diplomatic source doubted whether, ultimately, any of the member states would opt to send the UK over the cliff at next week's summit. "The reason why it's so difficult to predict what will happen is that only the leaders are in the room. You have the pressure of history... Who will be the first to say 'I cannot accept an extension? I prefer no deal.' It's a big call."

Donald Tusk, the EU Council President, is understood to have suggested a year-long extension, which could be shortened if and when the UK ratifies a withdrawal deal. That proposal, dubbed a "flextension," could be offered only if the UK presented a clear path out of the deadlock, diplomats said.

A separate source told CNN that no final decisions had been made and further discussions will take place before European leaders meet in Brussels Wednesday, two days before the current Brexit deadline of April 12. EU officials are keen to await the outcome of talks between May and the UK opposition leader, Jeremy Corbyn, diplomats said.

News Courtesy: www.cnn.com