European Union agrees to Brexit extension until January 31
- Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, said the EU’s 27 other members had agreed to the request made by British PM Boris Johnson
- Under the terms, the UK would be able to leave on the first day of any of the next three months if a withdrawal agreement is ratified by both sides
The Liberal Democrats and Scottish National Party have said they would back a general election on December 9 if a no-deal Brexit on October 31 was “taken off the table”. Downing Street has let it be known that it is considering how to respond.
But the main opposition Labour party continues to insist it will not back an election unless there are further assurances that the UK will not crash out of the bloc on January 31.
Under the terms of the extension, the UK has three months more of EU membership but it would be able to leave on the first day of any of those months if the withdrawal agreement was ratified in both Westminster and the European parliament in the meantime.
The EU has insisted it will not renegotiate the withdrawal agreement again. The UK also has “an obligation” to nominate a candidate to join the European Commission. The prime minister has previously said he will not put forward a nominee.
By agreeing the extension through a written procedure, most likely on Tuesday, EU leaders will avoid convening for a summit in Brussels.
Among weekend developments that persuaded Paris to drop its objections to a further delay of up to three months was “the significantly more likely prospect of fresh elections, now backed by several parties including the Liberal Democrats and the SNP”, a French official said.
The conditions attached to the extension had also been “further specified and reinforced” on Saturday and Sunday, the source said, in particular the “non-renegotiability” of the deal and the fact that the EU27 will be able to work on the bloc’s future plans without the UK.
While wishing to preserve the unity of the EU27, which had been their guiding principle throughout the negotiations, the source said, Paris had “insisted on these conditions as necessary”.
The terms in the draft agreement are in line with those stipulated under the so-called Benn Act, which forced Johnson to ask the EU for a further delay.
“The period provided for in article 50 (3) TEU as extended by the European council decision (EU) 2019/584 is hereby further extended until 31 January 2020,” the agreement says.
“In the event that the parties to that agreement complete their respective ratification procedures and notify the depositary of the completion of these procedures in November 2019, in December 2019 or in January 2020, the withdrawal agreement will enter into force respectively on [the first of the month of the relevant month].”
