Austrian leader suggests postponing Brexit date

By Askin Kiyagan

VIENNA (AA) - Following a tumultuous week on the Brexit front, Austria's chancellor on Saturday proposed postponing the date the divorce goes live.

“If London presents a proper strategy and a plan, then postponing the withdrawal date by a couple of months could be conceivable,” Sebastian Kurz told German newspaper Welt Am Sonntag.

The U.K. is set to leave the EU on March 29.

Kurz also stressed that a "hard and disorderly" Brexit would harm both the U.K. and the EU, adding: "But we are prepared for that too."

After a historic parliamentary defeat Tuesday for the Brexit deal, Prime Minister Theresa May is set to present her Plan B on Jan. 29, ahead of a new vote.

The EU has signaled it will accelerate its preparations for a "no deal Brexit" while insisting Britain clarify its intentions as soon as possible.

According to a recent poll, 56 percent of the British electorate said they would vote to remain in the EU, giving Remain a 12-point lead, the largest since the 2016 referendum.

British voters narrowly decided in June 2016 to leave the EU, in a vote many charged was marred by misinformation and manipulation.