EU postpones decision on Brexit extension until next week

But ambassadors agree there is no need for a special summit to make decision

EU ambassadors failed to reach agreement on a further Brexit delay at a meeting in Brussels on Friday morning.

Diplomats say a decision is now expected on Monday or Tuesday next week – just 48 hours before the UK is due to crash out of the bloc.

Member states all agree an extension should be granted, but are divided on how long it should be: with most favouring a delay until February next year.

Emmanuel Macron's France however wants to grant a more limited delay, in the hope that such a move will speed along the process of Westminster ratifying the withdrawal agreement.

Ambassadors on Friday did manage to agree that there should be no special leaders' summit to decide the length of the extension.

It had been feared that the 27 presidents and prime ministers might need to be dragged to the Belgian capital for the second time this month to discuss the issue in person. All member states, including France, are understood to be in favour of avoiding such a gathering – though if no agreement can be found then one might ultimately become necessary anyway.

Speaking after Friday's two-hour meeting of EU ambassadors, chief negotiator Michel Barnier said there had been "no decision".

One EU diplomat said: "EU27 Ambassadors met today for around two hours for talks on the British request for an extension.

"There is a consensus that the EU will agree on an extension. Talks on the length of the extension will continue at the beginning of next week."

A spokesperson for the European Commission told reporters in Brussels: "What I can tell you is that the EU27 have agreed to the principle of an extension and work will continue in the coming days. The intention is to take this decision by written procedure."

Boris Johnson formally requested the delay after being forced to by a law designed to prevent a no-deal Brexit. However, Mr Johnson has also said he does not want to delay the UK's departure beyond 31 October this year for any reason, describing the situation as "do or die".

The main reason most countries favour a three month delay is because it is the amount specified in the so-called Benn Act that forced the prime minister to request the extension. EU member states are loathe to get involved in internal UK political debates and see such an extension as the most neutral possible.

Any extension has to be agreed unanimously be the 27 remaining EU member states. Brexit has already been delayed twice from 29 March 2019 to later in the spring, and then again to the current 31 October deadline.

If the UK ratifies the withdrawal agreement during any extension it can leave early, under the terms of Article 50 – this approach is sometimes referred to as a "flextension". However, the passage of major international agreements through parliament typically takes months and MPs want time to scrutinise the deal and amend its implementation on the UK side.