The EU is planning to give the UK a Brexit extension until 31 January, with an option to leave earlier if a deal is passed by parliament, according to reports.

Ambassadors for the remaining 27 countries in the bloc hope to approve the three-month delay when they meet in Brussels at 9am GMT on Monday morning, it is claimed.

A previous meeting of diplomats on Friday had failed to reach unanimous agreement after objections were raised by France.

However a draft agreement, leaked to The Guardian, suggested that intense lobbying by European Council president Donald Tusk had borne fruit.

The plan envisages that the UK could leave the EU on 1 December or 1 January if MPs ratify Boris Johnson‘s deal in November or December respectively. There was no mention of 15 November as a potential departure date, as raised by France.