Humiliated Theresa May poised to accept staggering string of conditions to secure Brexit extension as Tories fear Britain will never escape the EU

THERESA May was last night poised to accept a list of humiliating conditions from the EU to secure a new Brexit delay – amid Tory fears that Britain may now NEVER leave.

As scientists in Brussels unveiled the first ever pictures of a black hole, Leave-voting MPs said Brexit could now be sucked down one as the PM begged for more time to thrash out a deal.

And Emmanuel Macron signalled the EU’s frustration with the UK as he turned up at the crunch EU Council and demanded “clarity” from Mrs May over how she intends to solve Parliament’s Brexit deadlock.

French officials briefed that he was only willing to grant Britain more time to solve Brexit if Mrs May agreed to abandon the UK veto, back the EU majority on key decisions – and even lose its Commissioner for the first time since 1973.

The staggering demands are designed to ‘protect’ the bloc if a hard Brexit-backing Tory such as Boris Johnson replaces Mrs May later this year. But it would render Britain to a near “satellite status” despite remaining a full EU member paying £700 million a month.

Msr Macron stormed: “The referendum was 34 months ago. We need clarity. The time for decisions is now.

“We must understand today why this request, what is the political project which justifies it and what are the clear proposals?” he said.

Theresa May tabled a formal request to move the Brexit deadline from Friday April 12 to June 30 in Brussels – in a bid to buy yet more time to push a deal through the Commons and avoid ‘crashing out’ this Friday.

She laid out her case in an hour long meeting with the EU’s 27 other leaders last night, insisting talks with Labour on a Brexit compromise were making progress. The ‘27’ then argued what to do over a working dinner of scallops and cod.

Austria is believed to have backed French suggestions for a short delay.

But German Chancellor Angela Merkel – who shared a joke with the PM at the start of the summit – signalled the extension should last until December.

Speaking before the summit began she said: “I am of the opinion, the German government is of the opinion, that we should give both (British) parties a reasonable amount of time.”

We could have left the European Union by now, but Parliament didn’t pass the withdrawal agreement.

Theresa May, Prime Minister

EU Council chief Donald Tusk on Tuesday said he wanted Britain to stay in the EU until March 2020 to give the UK more time to “rethink its strategy”.

Theresa May yesterday signalled she was willing to accept it  – as long as the UK had the ability to walk away if she somehow gets a Brexit deal through the Commons before European Parliament Elections on May 23.

Speaking on arrival in Brussels she said: “What matters is that we are able to leave the European Union at the point at which we ratify the withdrawal agreement.

“I’m working to ensure that we can leave the European Union within the timescale that the Government wants to see.”

But a long extension would mark yet another humiliation for the PM. After securing an initial delay last month she vowed she would never countenance a delay beyond June 30.

Speaking yesterday she conceded many across the UK were “frustrated” the summit was taking place at all given Brexit was supposed to have happened on March 29.

But she once more blamed Parliament for rejecting her withdrawal agreement – saying: “We could have left the European Union by now, but Parliament didn’t pass the withdrawal agreement.”

Miserable Eurosceptic Tories last night said they feared any long extension would mark the end of Brexit – three years after 17.4 million voters backed Leave. They warned a long extension would give Remain-backing MPs every incentive they need to ‘sit on their hands’ in the knowledge Britain could now be a member state for at least another seven months.

Jacob Rees Mogg stormed: The Tory party is a Brexit party and the Prime Minisiter is not a Brexit Prime Minister and that is the difficulty for her in policy terms. If she gets a lengthy extension it will not have the support of Conservative MPs, members or voters.”

Simon Hart – a member of the Tory Brexit Delivery Group – admitted a second referendum may now be the only way to resolve the deadlock.

Brexit-backing Tory Andrew Percy said he feared Remain had ‘won’.

The ex-Minister told The Sun: “The strategy of Remainers in Parliametnt who have never wanted to implement Brexit has been to vote everything down and play for time.They know a long delay probably kills Brexit and the truth is, they are probably right and have probably killed Brexit.

“Many of them now advocate revoking Article 50 which is a disgrace given the promises of both main parties at the last election to implement the result.”

• GOT a story? RING The Sun on 0207 782 4104 or WHATSAPP on 07423720250 or EMAIL exclusive@the-sun.co.uk