EU envoys agree that Brexit extension is needed

LONDON — European Union ambassadors agreed Friday that the bloc should grant Britain’s request for another extension to the Brexit deadline but they have not yet figured out how long that delay should be.

Speaking Friday in Brussels after EU ambassadors met with the EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, European Commission spokeswoman Mina Andreeva said ambassadors from the EU’s 27 other nations accepted the terms of an extension and their “work will continue in the coming days.”

Two European diplomats said the ambassadors would meet again early next week. Andreeva hinted that the EU would not hold a special summit on Brexit to approve the extension, saying the decision will likely be made in a statement.

“We are not very far, and there is no doubt we will find a deal early next week,” one diplomat said. The person, who asked to not be identified because talks are continuing, added that the ongoing debate in Britain over Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s request for a general election could have an impact on the length of the delay.

Britain is scheduled to leave the 28nation bloc on Oct. 31 but has asked for a threemonth extension to that deadline as Johnson struggles to get lawmakers to pass his Brexit divorce deal. Economists say a nodeal departure would hurt both the United Kingdom and the EU economies.

To call an election, Johnson, who leads a minority government, must win support from twothirds of the House of Commons. But opposition parties say they won’t vote for an early election until the government secures an extension of the Brexit deadline.