EU grants Brexit extension till Jan 31 ahead of MPs' vote on poll

The European Union has granted the United Kingdom a new Brexit extension till Jan 31, 2020 - meaning Britain will not leave the bloc as planned on Thursday.

The agreement, announced by European Council President Donald Tusk on social media, is a so called "flextension" that means the UK could leave before the deadline if a deal is approved by Parliament.

A "flextension" will be granted and "formalized through a written procedure", Tusk tweeted.

The UK was due to leave the EU on Oct 31, but British Prime Minister Boris Johnson must accept the delay according to a law passed last month by MPs, who seek to avoid a no-deal crash-out Brexit situation. It will be the third time the government has requested the EU to delay the Brexit deadline.

Johnson had promised in his first speech back in July that "there are no circumstances in which I will ask Brussels to delay - we're leaving on 31 October no ifs, no buts".

The ambassadors of the other 27 EU members decided on the delay decision after days of speculation over whether French President Emmanuel Macon would veto the idea.

The president of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, said the extension was "positive", and "gives time for the UK to make clear what it wants".

Meanwhile, members of Parliament in the UK were scheduled on Monday afternoon to vote on Johnson's proposals to decide whether the UK will have an early general election on Dec 12.

Johnson has told MPs that if Parliament agrees to an election on Dec 12, he would restart efforts to get his Withdrawal Agreement Bill - the legislation enacting the Brexit deal he struck with Brussels - into law.

MPs have already twice rejected a call from the prime minister to hold a general election, for which he needs two-thirds of their support.

The opposition Labour Party has repeatedly said it will not back an early general election until a no-deal Brexit is taken off the table.

The party was predicted to abstain in Monday's vote, effectively killing off the government's plans. The Scottish National Party said it would block the government's election attempt, but has broken with the Labour position and joined forces with the Liberal Democrats to push for an election on Dec 9, provided there is a Brexit extension.

The few days' difference means Johnson would not be able to get his Brexit deal through Parliament before voters head to the polls.

Labour shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, accused some opposition parties of "selling out the People's Vote campaign and the cross-party campaign to prevent a no-deal".

The SNP and the Liberal Democrats have also proposed a bill that would tweak the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 - the law which sets the time-frame for elections.

If passed, it would enable an election to take place with only a majority of one, rather than two-thirds of MPs.