Brexit news: A guide to what happened yesterday
WELCOME to your daily briefing on all the Brexit news from the past 12 hours.
No decision has been made on whether or not the EU will grant an extension to the Brexit deadline but it is looking like it will.
‘Flextension’
It looks likely the EU will extend the deadline until January 31, 2020.
It seems that the date will be flexible – in what has been called a “flextension” – so the UK can leave before that date, if it decides to.
The European Parliament’s Brexit co-ordinator Guy Verhofstadt tweeted that this move “is the only way forward”.
He said: “The @Europarl_EN's Brexit Steering Group met today & is of the opinion that a flextension, not going beyond the 31st Jan, is the only way forward. This is an important agreement & the European Parliament needs time to scrutinise in detail, especially concerning citizens rights.”
Those sentiments were echoed by Ireland’s deputy premier Simon Coveney.
He told business leaders in Belfast: “From the Irish government’s perspective we are supportive of facilitating an extension.
I think that extension will be a flexible one that will allow the United Kingdom to leave the EU, if they can get a deal done, well in advance of the end of that extension period, which looks like it might be the end of January.”
Christmas general election on the cards
Labour is set to back Boris Johnson's demand for a snap election if EU chiefs give us a three-month Brexit delay.
After MPs backed the Prime Minister's deal last night but threw out his speedy timetable, leaving next week’s October 31 Brexit deadline in disarray, the PM immediately hit the phones to Europe’s leaders.
But Boris has said he will go for an early poll again if he's forced into a long delay.
Jeremy Corbyn has told MPs that the party can't afford to reject an election again, The Sun revealed today.
And this morning close ally Richard Burgon said the Tories wanted to go to the polls whenever possible.
"As soon as No Deal if off the table," the party will vote for one, he said.
"We are not in the business of leaving the Tories in power, we want them out as soon as possible."
Bookies Paddy Power are now offering odds of 5/6 on a general election taking place before Christmas.
Labour MPs who backed Boris’ deal called ‘vermin’
The Labour MPs who backed Boris Johnson’s Withdrawal Agreement deal have suffered abuse online, being called “vermin” and “scum” by ardent Remainers.
Lisa Nandy was one of 19 Labour MPs in leave constituencies who backed the PM’s deal bill to deliver the will of the people.
She posted a tweet today saying “morning” with series of screenshots of messages from furious trolls.
One message said: "You should have your fat a*** kicked out of the party. I don't know how anyone could walk past you without holding their nose. I hope you rot in hell."
Ruth Smeeth was also targeted, with trolls calling her a “f*****g disgrace”.
Another told her: “Words cannot describe the contempt our family feels for you. May you rot in hell.”
Caroline Flint, the MP for Don Valley said: “In a week when we called for an end to intimidation and abuse, I am denounced as a Tory by social media trolls.
“I wasn’t elected to parliament to bow to threats and intimidation. I won’t now.”
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While Labour MP John Mann said he had faced some of the “worst abuse ever” from angry Remainers.
Among the vile insults were "your constituents are mainly racist scumbags”; “you must have sex abuse scandals to hide”; “hope you get a horrible debilitating illness”.
The 19 Labour rebels who backed the PM’s Brexit deal bill were: Kevin Barron, Sarah Champion, Rosie Cooper, Jon Cruddas, Gloria De Piero, Jim Fitzpatrick, Caroline Flint, Dan Jarvis, Emma Lewell-Buc, John Mann, Grahame Morris, Lisa Nandy, Melanie Onn, Stephanie Peacock, Jo Platt, Ruth Smeeth, Laura Smith, Gareth Snell and Mike Hill.