The British Government has insisted the country will leave the European Union on October 31 despite a letter that Prime Minister Boris Johnson was forced by Parliament to send to the bloc requesting a Brexit delay.

Key points: A parliamentary vote forced Boris Johnson to request an extension from the EU

A parliamentary vote forced Boris Johnson to request an extension from the EU Mr Johnson also sent a letter stating he did not want the extension

Mr Johnson also sent a letter stating he did not want the extension EU leaders will discuss the extension request this week

The Brexit maelstrom has spun wildly in the past week between the possibility of an orderly exit on October 31 with a deal that Mr Johnson struck on Thursday, and a delay after he was forced to ask for an extension late on Saturday.

Mr Johnson's defeat in the British Parliament over the sequencing of the ratification of his deal exposed the Prime Minister to a law passed by those opposed to a no-deal departure, demanding he request a delay until January 31.

Mr Johnson sent the request note as required, but unsigned, and added another signed letter arguing against what he cast as a deeply corrosive delay.

One of his most senior ministers said Britain would still leave the bloc on October 31.

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"We are going to leave by October 31. We have the means and the ability to do so," Michael Gove, the minister in charge of no-deal Brexit preparations, told Sky News.

"That letter was sent because Parliament required it to be sent … but Parliament can't change the Prime Minister's mind, Parliament can't change the Government's policy or determination."

In yet another twist to the running Brexit drama, Mr Johnson sent three letters to Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council.

A letter written by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson addressed to the European Council President Donald Tusk. ( Downing Street via AP )

First, a brief cover note from Britain's EU envoy explaining that the Government was simply complying with the law; second, an unsigned copy of the text that the law, known as the Benn Act, forced him to write; and a third letter in which Mr Johnson said he did not want an extension.

"I have made clear since becoming Prime Minister and made clear to Parliament again today, my view, and the Government's position, that a further extension would damage the interests of the UK and our EU partners, and the relationship between us," Mr Johnson said in the third letter.

The EU, which has grappled with the tortuous Brexit crisis since Britons voted 52 per cent to leave in a 2016 referendum, was clearly bewildered by the contradictory signals from London.

Mr Tusk said he had received the request from Mr Johnson and would start consulting EU leaders on how to react.

The future of Boris Johnson's Brexit deal hangs in the balance as EU officials must decide whether to grant an extension or not. ( Reuters: Henry Nicholls )

French President Emmanuel Macron told Mr Johnson that Paris needed swift clarification on the situation after Saturday's vote, an official at the French presidency said.

"He (Macron) signalled a delay would be in no-one's interest," the official said.

Despite the stinging rebuke in Parliament on Saturday, the Prime Minister returns there on Monday to keep seeking support for his Brexit proposal, which was approved by EU leaders on Thursday.

He is still trying to meet the October 31 Brexit deadline but the timing is extremely tight.

It was unlikely that the EU's 27 remaining member states would refuse Britain's request, given the impact on all parties of a no-deal Brexit.

Diplomats said on Sunday the bloc would play for time rather than rush to decide, waiting to see how things developed in London.

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Mr Gove said the risk of no deal had increased and the Government would step up preparations for it, including triggering its "Operation Yellowhammer" contingency plans.

"We cannot guarantee that the European Council will grant an extension," he said, adding that he would chair a meeting on Sunday "to ensure that the next stage of our exit preparations, our preparedness for a no deal, is accelerated".

Mr Johnson won the top job by staking his career on getting Brexit done by October 31 after his predecessor, Theresa May, was forced to delay the departure date twice.

Parliament rejected her deal three times, by margins of between 58 and 230 votes.

Reuters