
British Prime Minister Theresa May toured Berlin and Paris on Tuesday to plead for an extension to the deadline for Brexit, which looked increasingly likely to be approved by EU leaders at a crunch meeting in Brussels.

British Prime Minister Theresa May on Monday started a last-minute flurry of European diplomacy that includes visits to Paris and Berlin as she prepares for a make-or-break Brexit summit. Still struggling to get her EU divorce deal through parliament, May is hoping European Union leaders will agree on Wednesday to delay Brexit for a second time to stop Britain crashing out of the bloc two days later.

China wants to work with the European Union on issues from climate change to trade, Premier Li Keqiang wrote in a German newspaper before a summit this week aimed at cementing ties.

British passports are being issued without the words 'European Union' on the cover, despite the delay to Brexit. The new burgundy passports were introduced from 30 March, the day after the UK was supposed to leave the EU, but some people may still receive the old version until stocks run out.

Britain's opposition Labour Party said on Friday that talks with the government on a last-ditch Brexit deal had made no progress, as EU leaders said Prime Minister Theresa May had not convinced them that they should let Britain delay its departure next week.

The European Council has been branded “irresponsible” over its inflexible position on draft legislation approved by the European Parliament on Thursday in which Gibraltar, at Spain’s insistence, was described as “a colony”.

European Council President Donald Tusk is proposing to offer the UK a 12-month flexible extension to its Brexit date, according to a senior EU source. His plan would allow the UK to leave sooner if Parliament ratifies a deal, but it would need to be agreed by EU leaders at a summit next week.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said Germany will stand with Ireland every step of the way over Brexit. She was speaking following talks in Dublin with the Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) about the current deadlock.

Politicians and campaigners should take care not to inflame tensions in the UK caused by Brexit, a senior police chief has warned. Assistant Commissioner Martin Hewitt said people should think carefully to avoid inciting others to violence. The warning follows increased concern about intimidation of MPs.

Prime Minister Theresa May said on Tuesday she would ask the EU to delay Brexit again to avoid Britain crashing out of the bloc next week, signaling she could accept a closer relationship with Europe to break months of political deadlock.