British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks at the House of Commons in London, Britain, on Oct. 22, 2019. Boris Johnson on Tuesday was defeated in a vote on his Brexit timetable, meaning his government could push for a general election. (Jessica Taylor/UK Parliament/Handout via Xinhua)

 

European Union members agreed on Monday to postpone Brexit for up to three months, stepping in with a decision less than 90 hours before Britain was due to crash out with no divorce deal.

The next deadline for departure will be January 31 next year - although the other 27 capitals would allow an earlier date if London ratifies a withdrawal agreement before then.

"The EU27 has agreed that it will accept the UK's request for a Brexit flextension until January 31, 2020," said Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, which represents member states.

"The decision is expected to be formalized through a written procedure," he said, after ambassadors met in Brussels to approve the extension.

According to a copy of the agreement seen by AFP, if Prime Minister Boris Johnson convinces the UK parliament to approve an amicable divorce accord before next year, Brexit could be on ­November 30 or December 31.

But in the meantime London must nominate a senior official to serve on the next European Commission and must agree that the withdrawal agreement it struck last month will not now be renegotiated, according to the EU text.

A European source said the next step would be for London to formally accept the extension, after which Tusk will ask the EU capitals to sign off on it. "We hope for this to be concluded by Tuesday or Wednesday," he said.

A delay could have been agreed last week, but Paris was reluctant, concerned it would do nothing to boost the chances of Britain deciding how to handle the end of its five-decade relationship with the EU.

Johnson had been pushing for a definitive break on October 31 after finally striking a withdrawal deal with fellow EU leaders at an October 17 summit.

But he has yet to persuade skeptic British MPs to ratify the accord, raising the spectre of a chaotic "no-deal" Brexit and severe economic disruption in the UK.