The U.K. Government has published legislation extending the deadline for the U.K.'s withdrawal from the European Union, following an agreement reached with relevant European Union bodies on the extended Brexit deadline. The European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (Exit Day) (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulations 2019 amend the day of the U.K.'s exit from the European Union from October 31, 2019 to January 31, 2020, granting the U.K. government an additional three months in which to ratify its proposed Brexit deal.
The European Council has also published its Decision on extending the Brexit deadline. The Decision notes that, on October 17, 2019, the European Council endorsed the U.K.'s revised Withdrawal Agreement. The Withdrawal Agreement has not, however, yet been ratified by the U.K. Parliament. On October 19, 2019, the U.K. government therefore requested an extension of the Brexit deadline to grant it more time to obtain the backing of Parliament for its exit deal and the U.K. Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has since called a general election to be held on December 12, 2019 in a bid to obtain the majority required to pass the revised deal through Parliament. The European Council's Decision allows for an earlier exit by the U.K. in the event that the Withdrawal Agreement is ratified prior to January 31, 2020.
View the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (Exit Day) (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulations 2019.
View the U.K. Government's Explanatory Memorandum.
View the European Council's Decision on extending the period under Article 50(3) TEU.
You may like to view our memorandum, "Blacklines Comparison of the New UK/EU Withdrawal Agreement Terms".
[View source.]
