UK issues passports without 'European Union' on cover

The words “European Union” has been removed from the front cover of the passports being issued by Britain. The longstanding decision to start introducing passports without reference to the EU had gone ahead from March 30, the day after the original date for Brexit, the interior ministry said on Saturday. The British government and the main opposition were to hold further crisis talks on earlier on Thursday after MPs voted in favour of a Brexit delay that would avoid Britain crashing out of the EU on April 12.

With options running out, Theresa May switched course and invited Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn for talks earlier on Wednesday in a bid to forge a compromise that avoids a chaotic "no-deal" departure from the European Union in eight days' time. Negotiating teams for both sides were to meet again on Thursday for a full day of urgent discussions.

MPs have comprehensively rejected the agreement three times.

Ahead of an EU summit on Wednesday, she was forced to ask them for another extension, until June 30, to prevent Britain departing with no deal at the end of next week.

But the other 27 members must give unanimous backing to any further postponement and are increasingly impatient at the paralysis in Westminster. They could offer just a shorter postponement—or a longer period of up to a year.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told reporters at a G7 meeting in France on Saturday that it was time for the Brexit crisis to end.

“The British authorities and the British parliament need to understand that (the EU) is not going to be able to constantly exhaust itself with the ups and downs of domestic British politics,” he said.

However Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar cautioned it was “extremely unlikely” a member would veto another extension, while revealing he now favoured a lengthy delay.

May is trying to break the parliamentary gridlock by striking a compromise deal with the main Labour opposition.

Senior ministers have spent several days negotiating with its leaders, but there are signs of the talks stalling after Labour complained of no “real change or compromise”.