Katya Adler
Europe Editor

With only eight days to go until the scheduled Brexit day, what worried EU leaders most was Mrs May's inability - or refusal - to answer their insistent question: what will you do if the Brexit deal fails to get through Parliament next week?

It was then that EU leaders decided they had to take control of the situation if they hoped to head off a no-deal Brexit.

By the time the 27 leaders emerged at their Brussels summit, bleary-eyed from hours of bad-tempered debate about delaying Brexit, it became clear that they had "done a May".

By that, I mean they had managed to kick the Brexit crunch-time can another couple of weeks down the road - something Theresa May has become famous for throughout the Brexit process.

Read Katya's blog in full.

The US ambassador to the EU, Gordon Sondland, has told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that any arrangement the UK comes to with the bloc should not preclude any future deals with Washington.

“We want them to have free hands to do a complete and robust free trade agreement with the United States," he said.

US national security adviser John Bolton said earlier this week that Donald Trump wanted Brexit resolved so the UK could get on to a trade deal with the US.

Mr Sondland said it was not "helpful" for him to comment on the length of the Brexit negotiations.

Donald Trump Jr said this week the a "process that should have taken only a few short months has become a years-long stalemate, leaving the British people in limbo”.

Asked if Donald Trump Jr's comments were inappropriate, Mr Sondland said: “When you’re the son of the president you can weigh into a lot of things.”

“All of the parties believe it’s gone on too long."

Today Programme
BBC Radio 4

Image source, AUBIN

Katy Gifford, chief executive of chemical group Aubin, told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme that it she just wanted answers on Brexit now.

"Virtually everybody I speak to is just screaming at the television or the radio – please just get on with it. We don’t care now. Just get on with it".

Image source, PA

After Brexit, airlines flying in the EU need to prove that the majority of their shares - 50% plus 1 - are owned by EU shareholders.

Easyjet said today that its EU ownership (excluding the UK) had increased to 49.92% - still below the 50% plus 1 share that will ultimately be required following Brexit.

"Accordingly, the board continues to stand ready to activate the contingency plan of suspending shareholders' voting rights in respect of a small number of shares on a last in first out basis, in accordance with existing provisions of our articles of association," the airline said.

The board said it retained the right to compel non-EU shareholders to sell their easyJet shares to EU nationals.

Nick Robinson
Presenter, Radio 4 Today

Welcome to our live political coverage for Friday, as Theresa May tries to convince MPs to back her withdrawal deal - again.

The prime minister held eight hours of talks with EU leaders in Brussels last night, which ended with them offering to postpone Brexit until after the current deadline of 29 March.

EU leaders offered to delay the UK's departure until 22 May if MPs approve Mrs May's deal next week. It would be the third meaningful vote on the deal, despite Commons Speaker John Bercow throwing the process into doubt.

If they do not approve it, the delay will be shorter - until 12 April. At that stage, MPs will have to come up with an alternative plan, which could mean a longer extension, leaving with No-Deal, or even revoking Article 50 - that's to say cancelling Brexit completely.

We are now finishing our live coverage for this evening.

After hours of discussions between EU leaders - while Theresa May waited outside the room - the EU announced that it had agreed to delay Brexit.

The European Council agreed to delay the Brexit date of 29 March until 22 May - if Mrs May's divorce deal is approved by MPs in the next week. This delay is technical, to allow enough time for the deal to be ratified.

However, if MPs reject Mrs May's Brexit deal for a third time, the UK has a shorter delay of 12 April.

By this date, the UK must tell the EU what its next steps are - for example, whether that is a request for a longer extension, or a no-deal Brexit.

Speaking to the media after the announcement, the PM stressed the importance of MPs approving her deal next week to "end uncertainty".

"We are now at the moment of decision," she said.

Many of Friday's papers understandably lead with today's events at the EU summit.

The Financial Times calls the new April Brexit deadline a "guillotine date", by which time the UK must say whether it is holding EU elections, leaving with a deal or leaving without a deal.

Meanwhile, the Daily Star is sick of Brexit and has launched a campaign for one day of rest from any Brexit talks. "It's time for a Break-xit," the paper says. "In other words: SHUT IT!"

Chris Mason
Political Correspondent

It's very striking, listening to those news conferences from here in Westminster, that that was as close as you get to Theresa May slamming on the brakes on the message that was taken away by MPs from that statement she gave in Downing Street last night.

She was going out of her way to heap praise on MPs. She said 'they have a difficult job to do'.

She acknowledged that she was very grateful, not just to those MPs who have supported her deal, and those who have come round to supporting the deal, but those who have spoken to her who are still who are concerned about the deal.

In other words, every single MP.

That was more than just an olive branch of her reaching out and acknowledging that the framing of that address that she gave in Downing Street last night that went down spectacularly badly with so many MPs, that she needs to reach out to them.

The PM was asked whether she thinks she should apologise for the comments she made on Wednesday night in a statement in Downing Street.

In last night's speech, Mrs May laid the blame for the delay to Brexit squarely with MPs.

Mrs May replies that she had expressed her frustration - but understood that MPs were frustrated too.

"There are passionately held views on all sides," she says.

"I am very grateful to those MPs who have supported the deal, to those who who have come around to support the deal and to all those MPs I have been meeting across the house."

Mrs May is also asked about the petition on Parliament's website -which now has more than two million signatures - calling for her to revoke Article 50.

Is she confident that Brexit is still the will of the British people?

"If you look back at what happened in the referendum, we saw the biggest democratic exercise in our history.

"And there was a clear result that we should leave. I think that it's important if we want to show that we can be trusted as politicians to respect a decision that we gave to the people.

"We didn't say, 'tell us what you think and we'll think about it'. We said, 'here's the vote, what is your decision and we will deliver on that'."

Mrs May, speaking from the EU summit in Brussels, says: "I believe strongly it would be wrong to ask people in the UK to participate in these [EU] elections three years after voting to leave the EU."

Taking questions from journalists, Mrs May is asked are we ever going to leave the EU?

"Yes, we will be leaving the EU," she replies.

She was also asked if she would ever sanction a longer delay - something which she previously said she opposed - but the PM did not give a direct answer.

Mrs May was asked to set out what will happen if her Brexit deal does not win parliamentary approval next week, as many people have predicted.

"There's now that different date of 12 April, I believe this is important, it gives us the opportunity, MPs next week, to look at the choices that clearly face them," she says.

"We can leave with a deal in an orderly manner, have that extension until 22 May.

"Or, if we don't get that deal through, then before the 12 April we have to come forward with another plan and if that plan means a further extension, it means standing in those European parliamentary elections."

Mrs May said the new plan to delay Brexit outlined the "importance of the House of Commons passing the Brexit deal next week so we can put an end to the uncertainty".

She says she is still aiming to leave the EU with a deal, and does not believe Article 50 - the Brexit process - should be revoked.

In a statement, Theresa May has confirmed that the European Council has agreed to postpone Brexit until 12 April, if no Brexit deal is agreed.

If MPs vote for her deal, the extension will be until 22 April "in order to provide time to agree and ratify" the agreement.

She stressed again the "importance of approving a deal next week", adding: "We are now at the moment of decision".

European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker are updating reporters on today's discussions in Brussels.

Mr Tusk said the 27 EU leaders approached the talks in a "positive spirit" and he is "pleased" they had been able to agree to the Brexit delay.

Mr Juncker said the EU had been doing everything they could over the past year to get Theresa May's deal over the finishing line.

Today's deal "closes and complete the full package" and EU leaders were hopeful her agreement will now be adopted by MPs, he added.

The European Council has confirmed EU leaders have agreed a plan to delay Brexit from 29 March to 22 May on the condition MPs approve Theresa May's withdrawal deal next week.

Here is the final communique in full:

1. The European Council takes note of the letter of Prime Minister Theresa May of 20 March 2019.

2. In response, the European Council approves the Instrument relating to the Withdrawal Agreement and the Joint Statement supplementing the Political Declaration agreed between the European Commission and the government of the United Kingdom in Strasbourg on 11 March 2019.

3. The European Council agrees to an extension until 22 May 2019, provided the Withdrawal Agreement is approved by the House of Commons next week. If the Withdrawal Agreement is not approved by the House of Commons next week, the European Council agrees to an extension until 12 April 2019 and expects the United Kingdom to indicate a way forward before this date for consideration by the European Council.

4. The European Council reiterates that there can be no opening of the Withdrawal Agreement that was agreed between the Union and the United Kingdom in November 2018. Any unilateral commitment, statement or other act should be compatible with the letter and the spirit of the Withdrawal Agreement.

5. The European Council calls for work to be continued on preparedness and contingency at all levels for the consequences of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal, taking into account all possible outcomes.

6. The European Council will remain seized of the matter.”

The BBC's Europe editor Katya Adler says the latest draft conclusions of EU leaders on a Brexit delay suggest there has been a "softening of stance".

After really wanting to believe Theresa May's Brexit deal would somehow scrape through Parliament, their unity begun to fray she says.

"When the prime minister spoke to them... she was unable to provide them with any concrete reassurances that that would, indeed, be the case.

"They want to avoid a no-deal Brexit and suddenly that reality, or possible reality, was starring them in the face."

She says their draft conclusions were now offering the UK an "unconditional extension".