Prime Minister Boris Johnson's defining mission to take the U.K. out of the European Union in nine days' time was derailed as members of Parliament dramatically blocked his plan to rush the Brexit deal into law.
European Council President Donald Tusk responded by saying he would recommend the EU accept the U.K.'s request for an extension. While he didn't set a date, his suggestion that this could be agreed on by letter, and without a summit, pointed to accepting the British Parliament's request of a new exit date of Jan. 31.
Johnson earlier in the day threatened that a delay until January would see him try to call an election. He didn't repeat that threat in the evening, though. It is possible the EU will offer to allow an earlier exit if Johnson can get his deal passed in the next month, something that seems plausible after the first vote of the evening.
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