MPs reject rigid timetable for Brexit, after approving Withdrawal agreement in Commons – UPDATE

The EU is set to accept the Boris Johnson’s reluctant request for a Brexit delay up to 31 January with the option of leaving earlier after Donald Tusk said he would recommend to heads of state and government that they sign it off without need for a summit.

“Following PM’s decision to pause the process of ratification of the Withdrawal Agreement, and in order to avoid a no-deal Brexit, I will recommend the EU27 accept the UK request for an extension,” Tusk tweeted. “For this I will propose a written procedure.”

This happened after MPs in the House of Commons have rejected the rigid timetable, detailed in the programme motion, by 322 to 308; a majority of 14 after earlier having voted to allow the government’s withdrawal agreement bill to pass to the next stage of the parliamentary process by 329 votes to 299 votes.

In his own point of order, PM Boris Johnson welcomed the fact MPs have – for the first time – voted in favour of a Brexit deal. He said the EU must now must make up their own minds as to how to respond to his request for a three-month Brexit delay, which was forced on him by MPs.

The PM said the government will “pause” the Withdrawal Agreement Bill until there’s feedback from the EU on the request of extension.

The Prime Minister says the Government will “accelerate” its plans for a no-deal exit.

Mr Johnson says: “Our policy remains that we should not delay, that we should leave the EU on October 31.

“One way or another we will leave the EU with this deal to which this House has just given it’s assent.”

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