At first glance the decision by the UK prime minister (PM) Theresa May to request a delay on the UK departure from the EU reduces the risk of a no-deal crash out on 29 March.

However, the first problem is that an extension until 30 June as requested by the PM doesn’t fit the schedule suggested by the EU.

This was that a short administrative extension should not be beyond the 23 May and that a longer extension would require the UK to run EU Parliament elections.

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Brussels mood

European Council President Donald Tusk said after receiving PM May's request: "I believe that a short extension will be possible, but it will be conditional on a positive vote on the Withdrawal Agreement in the House of Commons. The question remains open as to the duration of such an extension."

The view in Brussels is that any extension, short or long, would have to be for a specific purpose, not just prolong the debate in the UK Parliament which has resulted in the EU-UK withdrawal agreement being rejected twice by MPs and the speaker of Parliament refusing another attempt at the same thing.

It seems that the EU and UK are on parallel tracks on the next steps

Manoeuvring in Westminster is now focused on seeing how the PM could circumvent the speaker's ruling and have another go at the vote.

It seems that the EU and UK are on parallel tracks on the next steps and all the clock ticks down to the current default position of a UK departure on 29 March as approved by the UK parliament and triggered by the UK sending an Article 50 notification to the EU specifying this date.

Default is Brexit on 29 March

The UK could choose unilaterally to withdraw its Article 50 notification and remain in the EU but to this point hasn’t considered this.

Any request for an extension, of whatever length has to secure the support of all the 27 members of the EU which is not an absolute certainty.

The general thinking is that a request for an extension would be looked on favourably, but the fact that UK has requested a specific period outside the parameters indicated by the EU negotiators and President of the Commission creates a doubt.

Additionally, it only requires one member state not being persuaded to result in an extension request falling, reverting to the default position of departure in 29 March as currently legislated for and all the consequences of no deal.