Downing Street confirms Theresa May will ask EU for an extension to Article 50

Theresa May's spokesperson has confirmed that the Prime Minister will write to Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, to ask for a delay to Brexit.

Last week the lines coming from No 10 was that a short extension to Article 50 – the mechanism that allows the UK to leave the EU – would be necessary to pass all the necessary legislation to implement the UK's exit.

The Prime Minister told MPs last week that she would ask for short extension if MPs passed her deal – a "technical" extension – or a long one if they did not. 

Yesterday evening, Commons speaker John Bercow threw her strategy into disarray when he made an unexpected statement ruling out a third meaningful vote on her Brexit deal, telling MPs that the government would not be able to "resubmit the same proposition or substantially the same proposition as that which was rejected" in January and March this year, by 230 and 149 votes respectively.

However, the PM's spokesperson did not confirm when the letter will be sent or what it will say.

This morning EU leaders expressed frustration at the ongoing"unacceptable" uncertainty around Brexit and suggested any extension to Article 50 would have to be for a clear purpose.

France's Europe minister Nathalie Loiseau said an extension to Article 50 – the mechanism that allows the UK to leave the EU – without an "objective or strategy" would be pointless, while Germany's Europe minister, Michael Roth, said he expected "clear and precise proposals" as to why it would be seeking a delay to Brexit.