UK issues passports without 'European Union' on cover

Britain has begun issuing passports with the words "European Union" removed from the front cover -- despite Brexit being delayed and its political leaders deadlocked over how to extricate the country from the bloc.

The interior ministry said Saturday that a 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.

Prime Minister Theresa May has delayed leaving the bloc after 46 years of membership amid stubborn opposition in parliament to the divorce deal she finalised with European leaders in November.

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".

British finance minister Philip Hammond nevertheless struck an optimistic tone at a meeting Saturday of European finance ministers in Bucharest.

There were "no red lines" in the ongoing discussions, he told reporters, adding: "I expect we will reach some form of agreement."