LONDON 20 Mar (ANA) - Theresa May will not be asking the EU for a long delay when she formally requests that Brexit is postponed, Downing Street says.

 

No 10 added that the PM shared the public's "frustration" at Parliament's "failure to take a decision".

 

BBC assistant political editor Norman Smith said the delay would not be beyond the end of June.

 

A cabinet minister has told the BBC this would be a "craven surrender to hardliners" in the Conservative Party.

 

However, former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith - a prominent Brexiteer - said 90% of Conservative MPs would vote against a longer delay and ignoring their views would leave the party in "deep trouble".

 

Under current law, the UK will leave the EU - with or without a deal - in nine days.

 

The PM is due to send a letter requesting a delay to Brexit later, ahead of a EU summit on Thursday at which she will discuss the matter with fellow leaders.

 

The EU, whose 27 other members must all sign up to any extension, said it had yet to receive any communication from the UK and senior official Donald Tusk would himself be writing to Mrs May by the end of Wednesday.(ANA)

FA/ANA/20 March 2019---------