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Brexit: What happens now? Brexit: What happens now?
(about 1 month later)
The bill to hold a general election on 12 December has now received Royal Assent which means it is law. The Conservatives have won a majority in the UK's general election. What could that result mean for Brexit?
It follows the confirmation of a Brexit delay until 31 January 2020 after the EU agreed to the UK's extension request. The Brexit date - when the UK leaves the EU - is currently set for 31 January 2020. Prime Minister Boris Johnson agreed a deal with the EU, but it still needs to go through Parliament.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson had previously said the UK would leave by 31 October "do or die". He has agreed a deal with the EU but the bill implementing it has been put on hold. It will now not progress before the general election. The default position - if no deal is passed - is that the UK would leave without one.
MPs failed to back a motion on 28 October to call an early election - the third time they had done so. Conservative majority - deal passed?
Under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act, two thirds of all MPs - 434 in total - are needed to get an early election using that procedure. With a large Conservative majority in the House of Commons, it should be relatively straightforward to pass Mr Johnson's deal.
However, on 29 October they backed a short bill to change the Fixed-term Parliaments Act. They rejected a Labour amendment to change the date of the election from 12 December to 9 December. It's thought likely that the government will re-introduce the Withdrawal Agreement Bill - the piece of law that lays the framework for Brexit happening - next week.
Only a simple majority was required. The bill passed the House of Lords on 30 October and received Royal Assent on 31 October. The aim would be to get the bill completed in time for Brexit to happen on 31 January.
What happens next on Brexit would depend on the outcome of that election. What happens after Brexit?
Implement the deal If the UK leaves the EU on 31 January, that is just step one in a very complicated process.
One option is to implement the Brexit deal that Boris Johnson has negotiated with the EU. The first priority will be to negotiate a trade deal with the EU. The UK wants as much access as possible for its goods and services to the EU.
A new version of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill would have to be introduced in the new Parliament - and go back to the beginning of its passage through Parliament. But the Conservatives have made clear that the UK must leave the customs union and single market and end the overall jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.
The aim would be to get the bill completed in time for Brexit on 31 January. This is the Conservatives' plan. Time is short. The EU could take weeks to agree a formal negotiating mandate - all the remaining 27 member states and the European parliament have to be in agreement. That means formal talks might only begin in March.
Another referendum These negotiations need to produce a final agreement by the end of June. That is the point at which the UK has to decide whether or not to extend the transition period (by one or two years). But Mr Johnson has ruled out any form of extension.
There could also be another referendum although it would certainly require a further Brexit delay. If no trade deal has been agreed by the end of June, then the UK faces the prospect of leaving without one at the end of December 2020.
The referendum could have the same legal status as the one in 2016. It would be advisory, and the government would have to decide how to respond once the result was known. If an agreement has been reached, it also has to be ratified before coming into force and that is a process which could take several months.
An alternative would be to hold a so-called "confirmatory" referendum. That would be between a particular Brexit deal and remain - or possibly with no deal as an option. The result of this kind of referendum would be legally binding. No trade deal of this size and complexity has ever been agreed between the EU and an external country anywhere near as quickly as the timeframe planned here.
Either way, the new referendum would require legislation to be held. There would also have to be time for the Electoral Commission to consider the question wording - especially if it's a referendum with more than two options. Mr Johnson has argued that as the UK is completely aligned to EU rules, the negotiation should be straightforward. But critics have pointed out that the UK wishes to have the freedom to diverge from EU rules so it can do deals with other countries - and that will make negotiations more difficult.
Experts at the Constitution Unit at University College London say it would take a minimum of 22 weeks. It's not just a trade deal that needs to be sorted out. The UK must agree how it is going to co-operate with the EU on security and law enforcement. The UK is set to leave the European Arrest Warrant scheme and will have to agree a replacement. It must also agree deals in a number of other areas where co-operation is needed.
Labour, the SNP, The Independent Group for Change, Plaid Cymru and the Green Party all support having another referendum.
No-deal Brexit
The default position will be that if no deal is passed by Parliament, the UK will leave the EU without one on 31 January 2020.
Leaving without a deal (or withdrawal agreement) means the UK would immediately exit the customs union and single market - arrangements designed to make trade easier.
Many politicians and businesses say this would damage the economy. Others say the risks are exaggerated.
The Brexit Party wants the UK to leave the EU without a deal, in what it calls a "clean-break Brexit".
Cancel Brexit
There is also the legal option of cancelling Brexit altogether by revoking Article 50.
But clearly, this is not something the current government is contemplating - so it's only really possible to imagine this outcome after a change of government.
The Liberal Democrats have said that if they won a majority in the House of Commons they would revoke Article 50 and cancel Brexit. If they didn't get a majority, they would support another referendum.