Theresa May has agreed to delay Brexit until Halloween to avoid Britain crashing out of the EU with no deal on Friday.
During an historic six hour summit in Brussels, the other 27 EU leaders thrashed out the length and terms of a so-called “flextension” which will come to an end on October 31 over four hours, with the prime minister locked out of the room.
May had been asking for a short delay until June 30 to avoid a no-deal Brexit on the previously agreed cliff edge April 12, previously suggesting she could resign if Article 50 was extended any longer.
But she accepted the six-month postponement after stressing that her main goal was ensuring the UK could get out of the EU early if she could find a way to break the Westminster impasse and pass a Brexit deal in parliament.
The lengthy delay will anger Tory Brexiteers wanting to oust May, who plans to stay on as PM until Brexit is delivered rather than use the extension to make way for a new face.
MPs on the powerful 1922 committee of Tory backbenchers are said to be working on a timeline for May to stand down, which would see her resigning as party leader by May 23, when the UK will have to take part in European elections if it is still an EU member.
But a Tory source suggested she will remain in post until the UK leaves the EU, making way for a new PM to take over negotiations on a long-term trade relationship.
The source said: “She understands that the Conservative party feels a sense that new leadership is required for the second phase of negotiations.
“That was the commitment she gave to her parliamentary colleagues and that’s one she stands by.”
The European Council summit had threatened to drag on into the small hours after French president Emmanuel Macron argued against a wider consensus for a long delay until the end of the year or even into 2020, backing May’s preference for the end of June.
But in the end a compromise of October 31 was reached by EU leaders and accepted quickly by May.