France will not tolerate repeated extensions of the Brexit deadline, a French presidential adviser on Friday said, expressing hope that European elections in Britain would jolt its political parties into reaching a deal on leaving the EU.
France pushed hard for a short extension of Brexit negotiations in April, contrary to Germany’s wish to grant a longer period, arguing that pressure should be kept on London.
In the end a six-month delay was agreed by European leaders.
He said: “We must not get sucked into repeated extensions that are for sure, our message is clear: a solution must have been found by October 31.”
The French adviser did not close the door on a further extension beyond October 31, however, he made it clear that France would continue to argue against delaying talks repeatedly.
He added: “Maybe European elections in Britain will serve as a shock to reach a transpartisan deal.”