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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Thursday that he would grant members of Parliament an extended timetable to debate his Brexit deal, provided they back a general election on Dec. 12, per the BBC.
The state of play: Johnson's offer significantly ups the stakes in the ongoing Brexit tumult, but there's no guarantee that Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party will agree to the offer.
- Johnson told the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg that — should his offer be accepted — he would try to get his Brexit deal, which passed a procedural parliamentary vote this week, through Parliament before it dissolves on Nov. 6 to campaign.
- Corbyn would surely rather fight an election without an agreed-upon deal — in effect, turning the election into an extended referendum on Johnson's deal.
Between the lines: This is Johnson's first admission that the U.K. will not leave the EU on Oct. 31, which he previously stated would happen "do or die."
- He said that he "really" did not want to ask the EU for an extension but was forced to by the political realities.
Go deeper: Everything you need to know about Brexit