Clarification of our status come 30th March.
Don't agree with the opinion on the thread, but do agree with points of law.
Note the importance of international law.
Henry Newman @henrynewman
There is some serious confusion about our EU exit date - see for example comments by @OwenPaterson and others
As a result of the decision of the European Council on Thursday/Friday the UK is no longer leaving the EU on 29 March
Here's why 👇
2) The Council agreed a flextension setting out two possible scenarios (depending on whether the deal had been approved or not by Parliament)
In either case the UK remains an EU member as a matter of international and European law on 30 March
3) Obviously there is the question of our domestic legal position which set out 29 March as a matter of UK law
However that is separate to any International commitments
4) Remember that this whole thing of 29 March being put in UK law was in part a demand of Brexiteers not something that actually mattered fundamentally to our international/EU position of whether we were or were not a member of EU
That was set by Article 50
5) Since the European Council reached agreement under Article 50 (3) the treaty law position is very clear.
The EU treaties will not cease to apply on March 30 - they still apply
6) If on 30 March the domestic law continues to read "29 March" for exit date, the result is not to make the UK a EU non-member. It doesn't make No Deal Brexit happen.
The result is instead domestic legal chaos & confusion, which Government & Parliament would have to mop up
7) Brexiteer critics of Theresa May tell us we couldn't just leave backstop as we would be breaking International Law
Putting aside whether we could or couldn't do that, same applies here
On March 30 the UK as matter of International & EU law is a member state not a 3rd country
8) Next week Government will seek to amend domestic law via statutory instrument to bring things into line with Council conclusion
As a matter of politics I think that will certainly pass with a strong majority - the Commons on 14 March already backed a longer extension 412/202
9) For weeks Brexiteers have been repeatedly told that our exit date was fixed at 29 March
This was wrong
It was always case that Council could change the date under Article 50 (3). And they will likely do so again if the deal doesn't pass
10) Have you ever been to a desert?
Where you can just almost sea a lake on the horizon - if only you can just walk over there
That's No Deal
A mirage on the horizon.
Impossible to rule out but almost certainly entirely elusive
11/11) Whatever Parliament votes to do, the international law position is that no deal Brexit cannot happen on 29 March
On 30 March we are still a member
Brexit is slipping away