Well, here we are... Nine days away from the official Brexit date and the UK has no deal, no Article 50 extension and no unity in parliament.
As the country ‘celebrates’ 1,000 days since the EU referendum, it’s fair to say Brexit could be going better.
On Wednesday afternoon, Theresa May told MPs she had written to the EU asking to delay Brexit from March 29 to June 30 after the government admitted the country was officially gripped by “crisis”.
But whose job is it to sort this mess out? With a seemingly endless conveyor belt of Brexit secretaries, teams of negotiators and dozens of EU leaders, it’s easy to get confused about whose shoulders this responsibility rests on.
Never fear. Here is HuffPost UK’s guide to all the big hitters in the Brexit game – and what they’ve been saying and doing to try to reach a solution as the clock runs down.
Theresa May
Who Are They?
UK prime minister. (If you don’t already know that, it’s probably too late for you.)
Role In Brexit?
As the leader of the UK, Theresa May has been *pretty* heavily involved in negotiations with the European Union.
As you may have heard, she’s made two somewhat disastrous attempts to get the Brexit deal she painstakingly agreed with the EU through parliament.
What Have They Been Up To Recently?
Having failed to unite MPs behind her plan for the UK to leave the European Union, the PM has written a letter to EU leaders asking them for a three-month delay to Brexit.
May will join the EU 27 at a summit in Brussels on Thursday, where her application was due to considered.
Stephen Barclay
Who Are They?
Brexit secretary (Theresa May’s third since the EU referendum).
Role In Brexit?
The prime minister’s right-hand man in Brexit negotiations (in theory). Barclay accompanied attorney general Geoffrey Cox to Brussels for a series of key talks with the EU last week. However the job now mostly involves preparing the UK for no-deal exit.
What Have They Been Up To Recently?
Barclay is unlikely to have been handed any gold stars from May in recent days.
It’s pretty safe to assume the Cabinet minister was in the doghouse with the PM last week when, just a day after he defended the government’s motion to delay Brexit from March 29 to June 30 in the Commons, he... voted against it.
The Conservative Party offered its MPs a free vote on the ballot, so he will have escaped any official sanction. But the sight of the Brexit secretary voting against a key piece of Brexit strategy is unlikely to have gone down well in Downing Street...
Olly Robbins
Who Are They?
Senior civil servant (He has been called ‘one of the best-known unknown people in Downing Street’).
Role In Brexit?
Olly Robbins is the UK’s chief Brexit negotiator and Theresa May’s top advisor on Brexit.
What Have They Been Up To Recently?
Well... The Evening Standard reported this week that Robbins – who has few fans among ardent Tory Brexiteers – could be on his way out, with Downing Street having told MPs he will be replaced as chief negotiator if May’s Brexit deal is voted through.
John Bercow
Who Are They?
Speaker of the House of Commons.
Role In Brexit?
Way bigger than Theresa May would like, that’s for sure.
What Have They Been Up To Recently?
John Bercow caused *major* drama this week when he insisted that he would not allow a third vote on the PM’s Brexit deal unless it had been “substantially” changed, completely scuppering May’s plans to squeak another ballot in under the wire.
In a move that saw ‘Erskine May’ trending on Twitter, Bercow said he could not allow the vote thanks to a convention which dated back to 1604 (which says a hell of a lot about British politics).
Michel Barnier
Who Are They?
French politician.
Role In Brexit?
EU’s chief Brexit negotiator.
What Have They Been Up To Recently?
Since it became clear last week that the UK would not be leaving the EU on March 29 with a deal, Barnier has been making it clear what the EU 27 need to approve a delay on Brexit.
On Tuesday he said that any extension must be “useful”, arguing that Britain must be clear what the delay is for.
“The EU authorities want to know what the underlying political process which would be the grounds for that extension would be – political process within the House of Commons or in the general political debate in the UK,” he said.
“It is our duty to ask whether this extension would be useful because an extension will be something which would extend uncertainty and uncertainty costs.”
Donald Tusk
Who Are They?
The former prime minister of Poland, Donald Tusk is now the president of the European Council.
Role In Brexit?
Stirring up serious drama via his social media accounts – anyone else remember that Instagram post about cake? (In reality, he plays a pretty key role in Brexit negotiations).
What Have They Been Up To Recently?
Donald Tusk has always taken a pretty hardline stance on Brexit chaos in the UK what the country can expect from leaving the EU – and that’s been no different in recent weeks.
In a tweet last month, he said there was a “special place in hell” for those who promoted Brexit “without even a sketch of a plan how to carry it out safely”.