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Brexit Extension With UK Holding EU Elections Likely After Commons Vote - UKIP

LONDON (Sputnik) - A longer Brexit extension with the United Kingdom holding European parliamentary elections is likely now that the UK House of Commons has rejected the withdrawal deal once again, Gerard Batten, UKIP party leader and a member of the European Parliament for London, told Sputnik.
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"May's 'Not Leaving Deal' rejected for the third time… what's next? The most likely outcome is Article 50 will be extended for a much longer period [and] we'll take part in European elections. UKIP will win big on a policy of unilateral, unconditional withdrawal", Batten said.

The European Commission said on the results of the latest vote that a no-deal exit became a likely scenario.

"Perhaps we will just leave. We'll have to wait a while longer to find out", Batten added.

Steven Woolfe, a member of the European Parliament for North West England, said the defeat of May's deal was to be expected.

"If you bring a terrible deal that isn't Brexit to the Parliament, the Brexiteers are not going to vote for it, and of course those who oppose it, who don't want Brexit, will use it as a vehicle as well… She should have made sure that we'd have Brexit from the beginning, by leaving", Woolfe told Sputnik.

The statement comes after the UK parliament voted earlier in the day against the government's withdrawal deal and thus lost the option of leaving on 22 May.

READ MORE: British Pound Falls 0.43% Against US Dollar in Wake of Brexit Deal Vote 

LIVE UPDATES: World Reacts as UK Lawmakers Reject Brexit Deal for Third Time
Last week, the European Council gave London until 12 April to come up with a new solution if the withdrawal deal was not passed by 29 March. UK Prime Minister Theresa May, who had pledged to step down if her deal got the necessary support in the parliament, said the search for a solution would continue on Monday.

However, Brexit remains steeped in uncertainty: earlier this week, the UK House of Commons held a series of indicative votes and rejected all eight alternative options that were put to vote.

The European elections will take place on 23-26 May.

The United Kingdom was initially expected to leave on 29 March, but as the government's deal was rejected earlier in March, the UK prime minister asked the European Council for an extension. After Friday's defeat, the council president Donald Tusk said he would convene a new meeting of EU leaders on 10 April.

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