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EU leaders criticised for holding Britain to ransom over Brexit

EUROPEAN UNION leaders were criticised today for holding Britain to ransom over Brexit following the talks to delay Article 50.

EU leaders agreed on Thursday night to give Prime Minister Theresa May more time to get her twice-refused Brexit deal through Parliament.

Ms May said that she intended to make another attempt to get her deal through the Commons.

If successful, EU leaders agreed to extend the Article 50 withdrawal process until May 22.

Otherwise, Britain will have until April 12 to set out its next steps, with a longer extension on offer only if Britain takes part in European Parliament elections in May.

Communist Party general secretary Robert Griffiths said the “circus” in Brussels has left parliamentary democracy “in a precarious state,” with the governments of Germany and France “telling us when we can leave and on what terms.”

He said: “EU commissioners are even instructing MPs as to how they should vote next week. What more is needed to illustrate the power of the EU opposed to popular sovereignty?

“This weekend many thousands of Remain supporters will march. The Communist Party urges members and supporters, indeed all who voted Leave, to refrain from invective and not allow themselves to be provoked.

“Instead, we need to seek out Remain voters who respect the outcome of democratic votes, those who fear EU power yet voted Remain and those who wrongly believe the EU is a force for unity and patiently explain its true character and role.”

Mr Griffiths said that Leave supporters should establish street stalls or hold meetings wherever possible to show that continuing with EU membership would jeopardise any future left-led Labour government.

“There’s a pressing need to bring workers together,” he added. “Whether people voted Leave or Remain there’s a general election soon that has to be won and it only can be if we are united.”

The Full Brexit campaign’s Lord Maurice Glasman criticised the People’s Vote campaign which will be marching tomorrow for a second referendum and the petition to revoke Article 50.

He said some on the left are “incapable of making the distinction between internationalism and globalisation” and therefore “doom us to an eternity of capitalism.”

The People’s Vote march has been backed by former Tory chancellor George Osborne’s Evening Standard freesheet and was yesterday backed by Labour’s deputy leader Tom Watson, who defied party policy to declare Britain must be made to vote again on EU membership.

Ms May has also received a warning from Tory MP Graham Brady after he was “bombarded” with text messages from other MPs demanding that she steps down.

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