{"id":55397,"date":"2019-10-29T10:01:29","date_gmt":"2019-10-29T10:01:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/en.bornomalanews.com\/?p=55397"},"modified":"2019-10-29T10:01:29","modified_gmt":"2019-10-29T10:01:29","slug":"brexit-european-leaders-agree-extension-to-31-january","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.bornomalanews.com\/?p=55397","title":{"rendered":"Brexit: European leaders agree extension to 31 January"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"International Desk: EU leaders have agreed in principle to extend Brexit until 31 January 2020 – meaning the UK will not leave as planned on Thursday.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

It comes as MPs prepare to vote on proposals by Boris Johnson for an early general election on 12 December.<\/p>\n

The SNP and Lib Dems have also proposed an election on 9 December.<\/p>\n

A No 10 source said the government would introduce a bill “almost identical” to the Lib Dem\/SNP option on Tuesday if Labour voted their plan down later, and “we will have a pre-Christmas election anyway”.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The prime minister had repeatedly said the UK would leave on 31 October deadline with or without a deal, but the law – known as the Benn Act – requires him to accept the EU's extension offer.<\/p>\n

Johnson is trying to persuade MPs to agree to a new timetable for his Brexit deal legislation and an election on Thursday 12 December.<\/p>\n

The Lib Dem\/SNP plan does not include a new timetable for his legislation – the Withdrawal Agreement Bill.<\/p>\n

They want the 9 December because it would not leave enough time for the bill to become law before Parliament is dissolved – which must happen a minimum of 25 working days before an election.<\/p>\n

The BBC's political editor, Laura Kuenssberg, said it was not clear whether the government would stick to 9 December, which is a Monday, but the move implied ministers would “give up [an] attempt to get the bill through”.<\/p>\n

It was also not clear whether the government's “almost identical” bill would be amendable, allowing MPs to vote on issues like a customs union or another referendum.<\/p>\n

Labour's shadow cabinet are meeting to decide on their position, ahead of the Commons vote.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

International Desk: 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":55398,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2,14],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n