Brexit news - LIVE: EU leaders unanimously agree to give UK unconditional ‘flextension’ if it approves withdrawal agreement next week
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Theresa May’s request to extend triggering Article 50 until the end of June was rejected by the EU, which instead offered a shorter time frame.
Ms May has now accepted the offer of a delay until May 22 if her withdrawal deal is approved by Parliament.
If MPs reject it for a third time, the EU says Britain must propose a new plan by April 12.
The result of this would either be a much longer delay or crashing out of the EU without a deal.
Ms May said she will not support a long delay because it would mean Britain participating in elections for the European Parliament.
Here’s how events unfolded:
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Donald Tusk opens the press conference, saying during the discussion among the 27 states, it was agreed to provide an extension until 12 April. He accidentally says "20 April", before correcting himself, but eliciting nervous laughs.
Mr Tusk said: "Prime Minister May repeated her request to extend the Article 50 period to the end of 30th of June and to approve the so-called Strasbourg Agreement.
"During the discussion between the EU27, the leaders accepted the request in a positive spirit.
"The European Council decided to approve the Strasbourg agreement."
Jean-Claude Juncker now has the floor. He says: “This has been a long haul, but we have to look forward now. The clock is ticking not only for Brexit but for other things too.”
Asked how long the "long extension" eventually on offer to the UK could be, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker replied: "Until the very end."
Asked about previous comments in which Mr Tusk said there was a “special place in hell” for those who campaigned for Brexit without a plan, he said:
“According to our Pope, hell is still empty, so it means there is a lot of space.”
“Don’t go to hell,” Jean-Claude Juncker added.
In the next few minutes Theresa May is expected to make a statement in Brussels in response to the EU's extension decision.
Theresa May is up.
She confirms the date structure set out by the EU.
“What the decision today underlines is the necessity of the House of Commons passing a Brexit deal.”
Theresa May says she believes it would be wrong to ask the UK to take part in European Parliament elections three years after the referendum
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