EU gives Britain a Brexit delay and warns: 'Do not waste this time'

The European Union has forced Britain to accept a six-month delay to the intractable Brexit process, with an option to leave earlier if the UK Parliament can agree a deal, at a tense summit of divided European leaders in Brussels. After a working dinner that dragged long into the evening, leaders of the 27 remaining nations agreed another delay to Britain's scheduled withdrawal from the EU, this time until October 31. European leaders were unconvinced by Prime Minister Theresa May's promise that the UK would get its house in order to leave by the end of June. But the deal was only reached after six hours of horse trading that saw European leaders divided over how to deal with Britain's ongoing political crisis. President of the European Council Donald Tusk, who had originally proposed an extension of up to a year, confirmed the UK had accepted the deal. "This extension is as flexible as I expected and a little bit shorter than I expected, but it is still enough to find the best possible solution," he told reporters in Brussels. And he had a stark warning for British politicians who have been deadlocked for months: "Please do not waste this time." European Council President Donald Tusk, right, and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, left, address reporters after teh summit. May had sought a shorter delay to June 30 in order to avoid the UK crashing out without a deal later this week. The UK was meant to leave the EU on March 29, this was later extended to April 12.