EU to allow Brexit extension to January 31
The EU have this morning agreed to accept Britain’s request for a Brexit extension until January 31, 2020 – or earlier if the new deal is ratified before then.
European Council Donald Tusk has made the announcement on Twitter, following a meeting of the 27 states’ permanent representatives to the EU (also known as EU ambassadors) this morning.
He said the decision is now expected to be formalised by a written procedure, meaning that the leaders of the states will not need to meet in person again.
It comes as France had been insisting on ‘justification’ for a Brexit extension and as British MPs prepare to vote this afternoon on holding a general election.
France’s Europe Minister Amélie de Montchalin, speaking on RTL radio yesterday, said: “We mustn’t give time based on fictional politics, but on elections or a second referendum”.
She added that if the British “want to hold elections, we must give them to the time to do it.”
The British MPs are to vote on a motion by Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling for a general election on December 12 – he will need the support of two-thirds of the MPs.
He hopes in the meantime that his ‘new deal’ would have been ratified by Parliament.
Labour meanwhile have said they would not vote for a general election until the risk of no-deal is removed by the EU granting an extension.
And the Lib Dems and SNP want to introduce an amendment tomorrow for elections on December 9, but want Parliament to be dissolved for the elections before the Brexit deal is ratified.
On Saturday October 19 the British MPs voted to suspend approval of the Brexit deal until such a time as the act of parliament needed to put it into British law had passed through Parliament, meaning Mr Johnson was obliged by the ‘Benn Act’ to ask the EU for a three-month delay.
Then last week they rejected Mr Johnson’s attempt to push the bill through the House of Commons in just three days.
