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Brexit: European leaders agree extension to 31 January | |
(32 minutes later) | |
EU leaders have agreed in principle to extend Brexit until 31 January 2020 - meaning the UK will not leave as planned on Thursday. | |
EU Council President Donald Tusk said it was a "flextension" - meaning the UK could leave before the deadline if a deal was approved by Parliament. | |
It comes as MPs prepare to vote on proposals by Boris Johnson for an early general election on 12 December. | It comes as MPs prepare to vote on proposals by Boris Johnson for an early general election on 12 December. |
The SNP and Lib Dems have also proposed an election on 9 December. | |
The government has not ruled out getting behind that proposed date, if, as expected, it fails to get its preferred date through the Commons later. | |
The UK was due to leave the EU on Thursday, but Mr Johnson was required to request an extension after Parliament failed to agree a Brexit deal. | |
Boris Johnson had repeatedly said the UK would leave on 31 October deadline "do or die", but the law - known as the Benn act - also requires him to accept the offer. | |
Mr Tusk will now seek the UK's formal agreement to the decision - before formalising the extension through a written procedure among the 27 other EU nations, which he hopes to conclude by Tuesday or Wednesday. | |
The BBC's assistant Political Editor Norman Smith said the decision saw a no-deal Brexit taken off the table - which will increase the pressure on MPs to decide on a general election. | |
MPs are due to vote on the prime minister's election call after 17:00 GMT. | |
Mr Johnson said if Parliament agreed to the vote, he would bring back his Withdrawal Agreement Bill for MPs to scrutinise. | |
The bill passed its first hurdle last week after MPs backed it at the second reading by a majority of 30. | |
But minutes later they voted against a timetable that would see it pass through Parliament in just three days, so the PM "paused" its progress. |