EU leaders have agreed to delay the UK’s departure from the EU until 31 October 2019.

The extension aims to prevent the possibility of the UK having to leave the EU without a deal tomorrow, however the UK will have to leave the EU by the new deadline, with or without a deal.

Prime Minister Theresa May, who sought a shorter extension until 30 June 2019, said the UK would still aim to leave the EU as soon as possible and that she would pursue a deal with the Labour Party.

European Commission President Donald Tusk commented, “This extension is as flexible as I expected, and a little bit shorter than I expected, but it's still enough to find the best possible solution. Please do not waste this time.”

The BBC reports that the UK must now hold European elections in May, or leave on 1 June without a deal.

However, The Guardian reports that May has insisted “the UK can still leave on May 22 and not hold those European parliamentary elections” if parliament passes the withdrawal deal.

MPs have rejected the withdrawal agreement May reached with other European leaders last year and they have voted against leaving the EU without a deal. The EU has ruled out any renegotiation of the withdrawal agreement.

"I know that there is huge frustration from many people that I had to request this extension," May said. "The UK should have left the EU by now and I sincerely regret the fact that I have not yet been able to persuade Parliament to approve a deal."

"I do not pretend the next few weeks will be easy, or there is a simple way to break the deadlock in Parliament. But we have a duty as politicians to find a way to fulfil the democratic decision of the referendum, deliver Brexit and move our country forward. Nothing is more pressing or more vital."

The EU and the UK had previously agreed to delay the Article 50 process beyond the previously formally agreed upon date of 29 March 2019 with a two-tier extension deal that would have depended on whether or not MPs approved a withdrawal deal.

In March 2019, the UK government made a commitment to not “reduce the standards of workers’ rights from as they are in European Union laws post Brexit, and any new legislation changing those laws will be assessed as to whether they uphold this commitment.”