EU keeps Britain guessing on length of Brexit lifeline

EU members delayed a decision on Friday on how long to postpone next week's Brexit deadline, giving British Prime Minister Boris Johnson space to push for an early general election.

Senior diplomats told AFP they would reconvene on Monday or Tuesday next week, thus perhaps fewer than 72 hours before Britain is set to break away from the bloc.

Johnson is struggling to call an election he hopes will give him a majority to pass the divorce deal he struck with EU leaders last week.

But the British opposition wants to know whether Europe will agree to delay departure before agreeing to a snap poll -- and October 31 remains the official deadline.

After what EU negotiator Michel Barnier said were "excellent discussions", European Commission spokeswoman Mina Andreeva said work among member states "will continue in coming days".

Two diplomats told AFP the ambassadors set an informal deadline of late Monday or early Tuesday to decide -- just two days before the current Brexit deadline.

Senior European diplomats who attended the meeting confirmed the 27 non-British members had agreed in principle that some kind of delay is in order.

They also agreed that their capitals could decide on its length by written procedure, rather than by holding a leaders' crisis summit in Brussels next week.

But, with France pushing for a shorter delay to keep the pressure on Westminster, and Germany and Ireland backing a three-month pause until January 31, the decision is not done.

"Depending on how things evolve in the UK, we've given ourselves until the start of next week," a senior diplomat said.

"It's clear that if a decision is taken in the UK on whether or not to hold an election -- the date of the election will weigh on the consultations," he said.

But the EU's decision has not been formally made and British MPs will have to decide on Monday whether or not to approve Johnson's demand for a general election this year.

In the meantime, Johnson has put on pause his efforts to ratify the withdrawal agreement -- after MPs rejected a bid to speed it through in just three days -- leaving Brexit in limbo.

"Take 'no deal' off the table and Labour will absolutely support an election," main opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said, suggesting a long delay must be guaranteed before a vote.

Johnson's Conservative cabinet colleagues, however, backed him on his demands to press on with plans for a vote regardless.

"Because of the actions of parliament, we are going to get this delay, but we will see what the EU has done in response of parliament's request," finance minister Sajid Javid told Sky News.

"We cannot keep on having delay after delay after delay."