By Derek Dong
The UK was due to leave the EU on Thursday, but Prime Minister Johnson was required to request an extension after Parliament failed to agree a Brexit deal.
The prime minister had repeatedly said the UK would leave on 31 October deadline with or without a deal, but the law – known as the Benn Act – requires him to accept the EU’s extension offer.
The Lib Dem/SNP plan does not include a new timetable for his legislation – the Withdrawal Agreement Bill.
They want the 9 December because it would not leave enough time for the bill to become law before Parliament is dissolved – which must happen a minimum of 25 working days before an election.
The EU has finally announced its informal approval of a new Brexit extension – but what an excruciatingly long and confusing political dance to get there. And the dance is not over yet.
To become a formal offer, the Brexit extension still needs to be accepted by UK PM Boris Johnson. This is EU law and an unavoidable part of the procedure.
But how uncomfortable for the prime minister who sought to distance himself as much as possible from the extension, previously promising that he would rather die in a ditch than request one.
