UK plans to take part in European elections as it struggles to reach Brexit deal

The United Kingdom plans to take part in the next European elections, as the country has yet to reach a deal to leave the European Union. 

“It’s regrettably not going to be possible to finish that process” before the day the U.K. has to participate legally in the elections, said conservative Member of Parliament David Lidington, who has acted as Prime Minister Theresa May’s de facto deputy, in a video published by the published by the BBC.

{mosads}“Legally, they do have to take place unless our withdrawal has been given legal effect, so those will now go ahead but we will be redoubling our efforts,” Lidington said.

If the U.K. has not left the EU by May 23, it will be required to send Members of the European Parliament to Brussels. The deadline to register for the election is Tuesday. 

The British public voted affirmatively to leave the EU in 2016. May has been attempting to negotiate a Brexit deal, but the parliament has voted down all of her attempts to leave the European governing body. The country was scheduled to exit March 29, but the deadline has been extended to Oct. 31 after the parliament rejected the deals.