Why is there a Brexit extension until October 31 and what happens next?

THERESA May now has until October 31 to work out an exit deal with the EU which the majority of MPs agree with – but that is looking increasingly unlikely.

Here's what we know about the delay and what could happen next.

Why is there a Brexit delay?

Britain had been due to leave the European Union on March 29, 2019.

However, after UK MPs rejected the withdrawal deal Mrs May had agreed with Brussels – EU leaders eventually agreed to a six-month extension to the exit process until October 31, 2019.

The UK can leave the EU before this date if a withdrawal agreement is ratified between Britain and Brussels before then.

May now plans to go back to the Commons in early June to give MPs a fourth chance to vote on her Withdrawal Agreement (WA).
However MPs on all sides have said they will vote down May's WA when it is brought before the House.

What happens now?

Mrs May is currently in talks with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in a bid to agree on a deal.

If the two sides manage to reach a compromise agreement, the Commons will vote on in May.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said there had been no change in the government's "red lines".

May had also formally requested an extension to June 30 from the European Council, headed by Donald Tusk.

This will give the other 27 leaders sufficient time to consider her plans before they gather.

Brexit could be pushed back a further time, until June 30 but Tusk has indicated he would prefer a longer time period, possibly a year.

Members of the 1922 Committee, representing Conservative backbenchers, warned the Prime Minister that agreeing a customs union with the EU in Brexit talks would be "unacceptable".

Mrs May's recent losses have ramped up the chances of a snap election dragging Brits back to the polls for the third time in four years.

She hinted at this, saying "I fear we are reaching the limits of this process" after the numbers were called out.

European Council President Donald Tusk  vowed to press EU leaders to delay our exit yet again beyond October 31 to give enough time for a fresh vote to be held.

Mr Tusk – famed for claiming there is a “special place in hell” for Brexiteers – said: "After the British referendum in 2016, I thought that if we recognise that the case is closed, it will be the end.

"Today the chance that Brexit will not happen is, in my opinion, 20-30 per cent. That’s a lot. Nothing is irreversible until people believe it is."

 

What are the key dates?

2019

29 March – Brexit Day

  • Britain had been due to leave the European Union on March 29, 2019.
  • However, after UK MPs rejected the withdrawal deal Mrs May had agreed with Brussels – EU leaders eventually agreed to a six-month extension to the exit process until October 31, 2019.
  • The UK can leave the EU before this date if a withdrawal agreement is ratified between Britain and Brussels before then.

9-26 May

  • The first EU Summit following Britain's failure to leave on March 29 will start on May 9 in Sibiu, Romania.
  • European Council President Donald Tusk said there was a one in three chance Brexit would be cancelled on May 10.
  • MPs could vote on Mrs May's Withdrawal Agreement sometime during the week of May 13.
  • Elections for the European Parliament in 27 EU countries are schedule for May 23-26.

31 October

  • Under the new extension to exit process, Britain should leave the EU on or before October 31.

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