Will the EU grant a Brexit extension and what happens if they dont?

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BORIS Johnson made history yesterday by finally getting the House of Commons to in principle agree a Brexit deal.

But MPs still shot down his timetable blowing out his hopes for leaving with a deal on October 31st and forcing him to request another extension. Here’s what we know about if he’ll get one.

Here’s what we know about whether or not Boris will get an extension to Article 50

Will the EU grant a Brexit deal?

MPs finally backed Boris Johnsons Brexit deal last night then wrecked it within minutes by rejecting his three-day timetable to push it through Parliament.

The defeat, triggered when nine former Tories voted against the Government,ends the PMs hope of an October 31 exit.

He immediately announced he will put the Withdrawal Agreement Bill on hold while the EU decides how to answer Parliaments plea for an extension.

Brussels bosses began considering the length of the new delay which Parliament asked to run until January 31.

Defiant Mr Johnson insisted he would repeat his firm line that our policy remains that we should not delay, that we should leave the EU on October 31st.

But No10 would not rule out the PM reluctantly accepting a far shorter delay of a few weeks to continue pushing his landmark Withdrawal Agreement Bill through Parliament.

A flex-tension that would see the EU end Britains membership as soon as the bill was passed by Parliament was last night seen as EU leaders most likely decision.

EU diplomats told The Sun that if Mr Johnson wanted a shorter extension he would have to write to EU Council president Donald Tusk to ask for it.

It is now up to the EU and Donald Tusk to decide whether or not to grant an extension

But within two hours of the PMs setback, Mr Tusk said he would recommend the three-month-long delay requested by Parliament.

He tweeted: Following PM @BorisJohnsons 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.

Sources in Brussels insisted the bloc would not get dragged into UK politics by being seen to either encourage or block another General Election.

They said they continued to treat the January 31 date set out in the extension letter demanded by Parliament as the Governments formal request for a delay.

What happens if they don’t grant an extension?

If the EU were to reject the extension request, that would give MPs a stark choice between Mr Johnson’s deal and no deal on October 31st.

However Brussels is unlikely to opt for this course of action as they are reluctant to cause a no deal scenario.

Alternatively, but unlikely, the UK could still revoke Article 50 meaning the UK would remain in the EU on the same terms it has now.

The Liberal Democrats are the only party to say that would they would revoke Article 50 without a referendum if they won a majority in a general election.

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled that a revocation should be “unequivocal and unconditional”, suggesting that the ECJ would take a dim view of any attempt to withdraw an Article 50 notification and then resubmit it again a short time later.