Government gears up for election as Brexit is delayed

The EU and the UK Government have officially agreed an extension until 31 January 2020 for Brexit, allowing an earlier EU exit should the Withdrawal Act be passed by Parliament before the 31 January deadline.

The ‘flextension’ means that the UK will not be leaving the EU on 31 October and Parliamentary support for a deal will be required in order to fully rule out the prospect of a no deal Brexit.

The extension comes at the same time as the country is poised for a snap general election.

Parliament will vote this evening (Tuesday 29) on whether to support a general election date of 12 December. This will be the fourth time in the space of two months that a vote has been held on calling an election but now has a higher chance of success as the Labour Party has today indicated that it will support the motion this time.

Further information about the Brexit extension announcement is available on the Gov.uk website

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