What Happened In the early hours of April 11, EU leaders decided to delay Brexit until October 31. The European Union will allow the United Kingdom to leave earlier if it approves a withdrawal agreement before that date. EU leaders also asked London to "act in a responsible manner" and not to disrupt the policy-making process in the bloc during the extra months it will be a member state. What It Means The most immediate consequence of the European Union's decision is that there will no longer be a no-deal exit on April 12 , which is when the United Kingdom had been scheduled to leave the European Union. It also means that the United Kingdom will have to participate in the elections for the European Parliament on May 22 if no withdrawal agreement is approved by the House of Commons before then.