LONDON — When will it be over?

That was the collective response from many British businesses on Thursday after the European Union extended the deadline for the country’s departure from the bloc until Oct. 31, warding off a chaotic crash on Friday.

The extension, giving the government an additional six months to come to an agreement over the terms of its divorce, puts off the prospect of a no-deal Brexit and the expected devastating hit to the economy.

But even as the immediate pressure abated, businesses pleaded with politicians to come to an agreement swiftly and avoid being in the same position six months down the line.

Despite the uncertainty, the British economy grew by 0.3 percent in the three months ending in February, according to numbers from the Office for National Statistics released this week. But some of the activity may have been a result of frantic preparations to leave the European Union, and economists warned that Brexit could slow growth further.