Read a summary of the day's Brexit events here: EU 'sorry' to see UK leave as leaders agree to Brexit deal.

Read the events of October 17 as they happened below:

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the deal was done earlier today

EU leaders voted unanimously to endorse the Brexit deal at the outset of a two-day summit in Brussels

The deal must be ratified by the UK's parliament in an extraordinary session called for Saturday

Northern Ireland's DUP said it is opposed to the deal, and a chorus of British party leaders have said they would vote against the deal, leaving the fate of the agreement uncertain

All updates in Universal Coordinated Time (UTC)

17:51 German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the EU and the UK need to wrap up a free trade agreement as soon as possible following the UK's exit from the bloc. She told a news conference that the Brexit deal facilitated an orderly Brexit and a transition period until the end of 2020, giving time for such an agreement to be settled.

"There is an essential difference compared with when Theresa May was prime minister. Then it was not clear how future relations would look, whether there would be membership of the customs union or not," Merkel said. "Now it is quite clear that Great Britain will be a third country and with this third country we must sort out a free trade agreement very quickly," she continued.

17:40 President-elect of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen told reporters that the deal was of utmost importance "as a starting point for future relationship to the United Kingdom." "On the other hand, of course I'm sad that our British friends are leaving the European Union," she said.

17:05 In his own press conference following the EU's endorsement of the Brexit deal, Johnson said there was "a very good case for voting for this deal" on all sides of the House following negotiations he called long, painful and divisive. "I'm very confident that when MPs of all parties look at this deal they'll see the merits of supporting it, of getting Brexit done on October 31, and of honoring the promises made repeatedly to get Brexit done," he said.

Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, and Michel Barnier, the EU's Chief Brexit Negotiator, ahead of the opening sessions of the European Council summit at EU headquarters in Brussels.

16:42 In a press conference following the endorsement, President of the European Council Donald Tusk said that if there's a request for an extension made, he will consult member states on how to react. He also said that the EU and the UK were "very close to the final stretch" of Brexit, with approval of the British parliament and the European Parliament as the last hurdles to surmount. He also expressed sadness at the prospect of the UK leaving the EU, saying he's "always been a Remainer."

EU Brexit chief negotiator Michel Barnier said the UK would remain "our economic partner, our friend and our ally" to guarantee Europe's security, and that the future relationship the EU and the UK negotiate in the next phase of Brexit would prove more important than this accord.

16:39 German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that achieving the deal had been "real hard work," and called the agreement "a compromise for all sides," and "an opportunity to have good, close relations with Britain in future as well." When asked whether the EU's apparent refusal to consider an extension undermines the UK's parliament, she said: "We will address any decision by the British Parliament and didn't make any decision today for any eventuality."

16:10 Leaders of the remaining 27 EU countries have unanimously endorsed the Brexit deal, formally sending it to the UK's parliament for ratification. The leaders invited EU institutions to take steps to ensure the agreement can be implemented on November 1, but emphasized they wanted "as close as possible a partnership with the United Kingdom in the future."

15:32 UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson told EU leaders at the summit in Brussels that he was relatively positive about the new Brexit deal passing the House of Commons, an EU official said. Johnson proceeded to leave the room and the 27 EU leaders to debate the matter without him.

Brexit timeline: Charting Britain's turbulent exodus from Europe June 2016: 'The will of the British people' After a shrill referendum campaign, nearly 52% of British voters opted to leave the EU on June 23. Polls had shown a close race before the vote with a slight lead for those favoring remaining in the EU. Conservative British Prime Minister David Cameron, who had campaigned for Britain to stay, acknowledged the "will of the British people" and resigned the following morning.

Brexit timeline: Charting Britain's turbulent exodus from Europe July 2016: 'Brexit means Brexit' Former Home Secretary Theresa May replaced David Cameron as prime minister on July 11 and promised the country that "Brexit means Brexit." May had quietly supported the Remain campaign before the referendum. She did not initially say when her government would trigger Article 50 of the EU treaty to start the two-year talks leading to Britain's formal exit.

Brexit timeline: Charting Britain's turbulent exodus from Europe March 2017: 'We already miss you' May eventually signed a diplomatic letter over six months later on March 29, 2017 to trigger Article 50. Hours later, Britain's ambassador to the EU, Tim Barrow, handed the note to European Council President Donald Tusk. Britain's exit was officially set for March 29, 2019. Tusk ended his brief statement on the decision with: "We already miss you. Thank you and goodbye."

Brexit timeline: Charting Britain's turbulent exodus from Europe June 2017: And they're off! British Brexit Secretary David Davis and the EU's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, kicked off talks in Brussels on June 19. The first round ended with Britain reluctantly agreeing to follow the EU's timeline for the rest of the negotiations. The timeline split talks into two phases. The first would settle the terms of Britain's exit, and the second the terms of the EU-UK relationship post-Brexit.

Brexit timeline: Charting Britain's turbulent exodus from Europe July-October 2017: Money, rights and Ireland The second round of talks in mid-July began with an unflattering photo of a seemingly unprepared British team. It and subsequent rounds ended with little progress on three phase one issues: How much Britain still needed to pay into the EU budget after it leaves, the post-Brexit rights of EU and British citizens and whether Britain could keep an open border between Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Brexit timeline: Charting Britain's turbulent exodus from Europe December 2017: Go-ahead for phase 2 Leaders of the remaining 27 EU members formally agreed that "sufficient progress" had been made to move on to phase two issues: the post-Brexit transition period and the future UK-EU trading relationship. While Prime Minister Theresa May expressed her delight at the decision, European Council President Tusk ominously warned that the second stage of talks would be "dramatically difficult."

Brexit timeline: Charting Britain's turbulent exodus from Europe July 2018: Johnson, Davis resign British ministers appeared to back a Brexit plan at May's Chequers residence on July 6. The proposal would have kept Britain in a "combined customs territory" with the EU and signed up to a "common rulebook" on all goods. That went too far for British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson and Brexit Secretary David Davis, who resigned a few days later. May replaced them with Jeremy Hunt and Dominic Raab.

Brexit timeline: Charting Britain's turbulent exodus from Europe September 2018: No cherries for Britain May's Chequers proposal did not go down well with EU leaders, who told her at a summit in Salzburg in late September that it was unacceptable. EU Council President Tusk trolled May on Instagram, captioning a picture of himself and May looking at cakes with the line: "A piece of cake perhaps? Sorry, no cherries." The gag echoed previous EU accusations of British cherry-picking.

Brexit timeline: Charting Britain's turbulent exodus from Europe November 2018: Breakthrough in Brussels EU leaders endorsed a 585-page draft divorce deal and political declaration on post-Brexit ties in late November. The draft had been widely condemned by pro- and anti-Brexit lawmakers in the British Parliament only weeks earlier. Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab resigned along with several other ministers, and dozens of Conservative Party members tried to trigger a no-confidence vote in May.

Brexit timeline: Charting Britain's turbulent exodus from Europe December 2018: May survives rebellion In the face of unrelenting opposition, May postponed a parliamentary vote on the deal on December 10. The next day, she met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to seek reassurances that would, she hoped, be enough to convince skeptical lawmakers to back the deal. But while she was away, hard-line Conservative lawmakers triggered a no-confidence vote. May won the vote a day later.

Brexit timeline: Charting Britain's turbulent exodus from Europe January 2019: Agreement voted down The UK Parliament voted 432 to 202 against May's Brexit deal on January 16. In response to the result, European Council President Donald Tusk suggested the only solution was for the UK to stay in the EU. Meanwhile, Britain's Labour Party called for a no-confidence vote in the prime minister, her second leadership challenge in as many months.

Brexit timeline: Charting Britain's turbulent exodus from Europe March 2019: Second defeat for May's deal May tried to get legal changes to the deal's so-called Irish backstop in the weeks that followed. She eventually got assurances that the UK could suspend the backstop under certain circumstances. But on March 12, Parliament voted against the revised Brexit deal by 391 to 242. EU leaders warned the vote increased the likelihood of a no-deal Brexit. Two days later, MPs voted to delay Brexit.

Brexit timeline: Charting Britain's turbulent exodus from Europe March 2019: Extension after second defeat Following the second defeat of May's divorce deal, the European Council met in Brussels on March 21 to decide what to do next. EU leaders gave May two options: delay Brexit until May 22 if MPs vote for the withdrawal deal or delay it until April 12 if they vote against the deal. If the deal were to fail again in Parliament, May could ask for a long extension.

Brexit timeline: Charting Britain's turbulent exodus from Europe March 2019: Brexit deal rejected a third time On March 29, the day that the UK was supposed to leave the EU, British lawmakers voted for a third time against May's deal — rejecting it this time with a vote of 344 to 286. Following the latest defeat, May approached the main opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in an attempt to find a compromise, angering hardline Brexiteers in her own Conservative party.

Brexit timeline: Charting Britain's turbulent exodus from Europe April 2019: Brexit delayed until Halloween With the April 12 deadline looming after the third defeat of May's deal, EU leaders met again in Brussels to discuss a second delay. The only question was how long should it be? In the end, the UK and EU agreed to a "flexible" extension until October 31 — which can end sooner if the Brexit deal is approved. The UK had to take part in EU elections in May because their exit wasn't secured in time.

Brexit timeline: Charting Britain's turbulent exodus from Europe May 2019: Prime Minister Theresa May resigns Weeks of talks between Prime Minister Theresa May and the Labour party to reach a deal proved unsuccessful and further eroded her political capital. She triggered an angry backlash from her party after she tried to put the option of a second referendum on the table. The series of failures led May to announce her resignation, effective June 7, in an emotional address.

Brexit timeline: Charting Britain's turbulent exodus from Europe June 2019: Search for a new prime minister After Theresa May announced on June 7 that she would leave office, other members of her Conservative party began clamoring for the top job. Within a month, the leadership battle came down to Jeremy Hunt (left), an EU proponent who fears a no-deal scenario, and Boris Johnson (right), one of the main proponents of Brexit.

Brexit timeline: Charting Britain's turbulent exodus from Europe July 2019: Prime Minister Boris Johnson At the end of July 2019, Johnson was officially named Theresa May's successor as British prime minister. "We are going to energize the country, we are going to get Brexit done by October 31," he said after he was elected leader of the Conservative Party.

Brexit timeline: Charting Britain's turbulent exodus from Europe September 2019: Johnson's election threat Conservative rebels and opposition MPs backed efforts to delay an October 31 Brexit deadline in fear of a no-deal departure. In response, Johnson called for a general election, saying his government cannot rule without a mandate after he stripped 21 rebel MPs of their Conservative status. The Labour Party said it would not back elections until legislation to block a no-deal Brexit was in place.

Brexit timeline: Charting Britain's turbulent exodus from Europe September 2019: Prorogation 'unlawful' In late September, Britain's highest court ruled that Johnson's decision to suspend Parliament ahead of the UK's planned exit was unlawful. "This was not a normal prorogation in the run-up to a Queen's Speech," said the Supreme Court. Political rivals immediately called on Johnson to leave his post. Johnson said he would abide by the court ruling, though said he "strongly" disagreed.

Brexit timeline: Charting Britain's turbulent exodus from Europe October 2019: A new deal British Prime Minister Boris Johnson managed to secure a deal with European negotiators that would allow the UK to leave the EU in an orderly manner. The deal received unanimous backing from the leaders of 27 other member states. But an attempt to get the UK Parliament to sign off on the deal failed. Instead, Parliament pushed for the Brexit deadline to be extended until the end of January 2020.

Brexit timeline: Charting Britain's turbulent exodus from Europe December 2019: Lawmakers vote for Johnson's Withdrawal Bill On December 22, UK lawmakers vote for Prime Minister Johnson's European Union withdrawal bill, which will see a leave date of January 31 2020 enshrined in law. Getting a majority to vote to pass the bill in the lower house has proven a major sticking point for the PM, but following a general election Johnson's Conservative party won control of the house and the bill passed with a 124 majority.



15:11 Ahead of the EU summit in Brussels, Johnson was greeted by other EU leaders with handshakes and claps on the back. European Parliament President David Sassoli said the assembly could ratify the draft Brexit agreement by the deadline at the end of the month if it's endorsed by EU leaders and the UK parliament.

"We're ready to do our duty, which is to examine the text and adopt the necessary procedures so that the time limits are respected," Sassoli said. The EU assembly has "the final word, if you like, but the second to last word is in the hands of others," he continued.

EU leaders appear ready to endorse the agreement by Friday, leaving it to the UK's parliament to debate the text on Saturday. If it's approved by both the EU and the UK, the European Parliament could rubber stamp the deal in Strasbourg, France, next week — roughly one week before the UK's October 31 deadline.

Read more: Brexit deal: What could it mean for the Northern Irish and British economies?

13:25 The UK's parliament has voted to hold a rare Saturday session in order to put the Brexit deal to a vote, the first such session since the 1982 Falklands War.

Parliament will sit from 08:30 UTC on Saturday, at which time Johnson is set to make a statement to lawmakers, followed by a 90-minute debate and then voting. The vote is one necessary step to ratify the deal. If the deal passes through parliament, legislation would then need to be passed by the October 31 deadline to complete the ratification.

Johnson's new plan faces significant opposition in a deeply divided parliament, with his rivals — among them Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Brexit party leader Nigel Farage — rejecting the new plan immediately after it was announced.

13:10 European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker reiterated to reporters in Brussels ahead of the EU summit that he has ruled out granting the UK another Brexit extension. "There will be no prolongation," Juncker said. "We have concluded a deal so there is not an argument for a further delay." Johnson said that the deal allows the UK to leave the EU "in two weeks' time" in a tweet earlier today.

This could raise the stakes in the House of Commons when it votes on the proposed deal. It's designed to leave those parliamentarians reluctant to accept the deal as agreed by Johnson thinking that their choice is between this deal, and none at all, at the end of the month. However, this decision is not Juncker's to make, but that of the leaders of the other 27 EU member states.

At a press conference with Johnson earlier today, Juncker said he was "happy about the deal and sad about Brexit."

Speaking alongside Juncker, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the agreement was "a very good deal for both the EU and for the UK," and that the deal would allow the UK to leave the block as scheduled on October 31 "whole and entire."

Watch video 01:16 Juncker: 'This is a fair and balanced agreement'

12:56 After reaching a five-month high of $1.2941 following Thursday's announcement of a Brexit deal, the British pound was trading 0.3% lower at $1.2789 after Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) said it could not support the plan, adding that it was "not in Northern Ireland's long term interests."

12:50 British lawmakers have approved the government's plan to vote on Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Brexit deal during a special session of parliament on Saturday. They also backed a change to the rules that would allow amendments to be proposed and put to a vote.

The prime minister has urged MPs to "get this excellent deal over the line."

12:44 Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar says the Brexit deal is good for Ireland and Northern Ireland, hailing the avoidance of a "hard border."

"We have (a) #Brexit Agreement that allows (the) UK (to) leave (the) EU in (an) orderly way," Varadkar wrote on Twitter. "We have (a) unique solution for NI that respects (its) unique history and geography."

12:33 Leader of the British House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg says a 90-minute debate on the Brexit agreement is expected to take place in the UK parliament on Saturday. British lawmakers are due to vote later on Thursday on whether that weekend session should go ahead.

"The prime minister will make a statement updating the House on the outcome of the negotiations at the European Union Council. The debate that follows will be a motion to either approve a deal or to approve a no-deal exit," Rees-Mogg said.

Read more: What's new in this Brexit deal?

12:06 DW correspondent in Brussels Georg Matthes says concessions have been made on both sides, notably, on the UK's side, that Northern Ireland will remain aligned to the standards of the internal market and the customs union. "If you look at the EU side, the main concession here really is that it will be UK customs officials who will be controlling that the EU's customs laws will be applied when it comes to goods crossing from the UK into Northern Ireland," he said.

11:47 German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has described the agreement as "nothing less than a diplomatic feat."

He told reporters in Berlin the deal was "proof that we all worked very responsibly together," but stressed that it still needed to be discussed by EU leaders and the European Parliament.

11:39 Nicola Sturgeon, the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), says her party rejects the new Brexit deal because it "would take Scotland out of the European Union, out of the single market and out of the customs union against the overwhelming democratic will of the people of Scotland."

She said lawmakers with the SNP, which has 35 seats in the 650-seat House of Commons, "will not vote for Brexit in any form."

11:23 Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney says the deal is "a big step forward" and worth supporting because it protects Irish interests.

"It's a deal that recognizes all of the issues that we have been raising for the last three years. It is a deal that will protect people on this island, it will protect peace on this island, it will protect trade on this island," he said.

11:14 Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage is calling on the British Parliament to oppose the new deal, saying it's "just not Brexit" and still binds Britain to the EU. He said he would prefer to see a "clean break" with Europe rather than "another European treaty."

He added that he also favors new elections and an extension of the October 31 Brexit deadline over a parliamentary vote on the current terms.

Read more: German businesses already incurring Brexit losses, says industry boss

Watch video 04:13 Share Barnier: 'We have delivered' Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3RRGP Barnier: 'We have delivered, and we have delivered together'

11:06 The EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, says Northern Ireland will remain in a customs union with Britain under the agreement, but will continue to apply limited EU internal market rules in order to avoid border controls with EU member Ireland.

Barnier said a dual customs regime would be observed, depending on whether goods are destined to stay in Northern Ireland or end up in the EU.

He added that the EU and the UK wanted to negotiate a free trade agreement, and that Brussels was offering a deal "without tariffs and quotas between the EU and the UK."

10:57 In his initial response, Barnier hailed the deal, saying it answered the uncertainty created by Brexit: "We have delivered, and we have delivered together."

The agreement still needs to be ratified by EU member states and UK lawmakers. Barnier said that Johnson "told President Juncker ... he believed he was able to get the deal approved," by British MPs, adding that Johnson said he was "confident about his capacity to convince a majority."

Read more: Merkel: Brexit deal 'better for everyone'

The House of Commons on three occasions rejected previous Brexit agreements under Johnson's predecessor Theresa May.

10:49 EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has urged the 27 member states to get behind the Brexit deal. In a letter to EU Council President Donald Tusk, Juncker said EU countries are "best served by an orderly and amicable withdrawal of the United Kingdom from our Union."

"Our hand should always remain outstretched as the United Kingdom will remain a key partner," he wrote.

"I believe it is high time to complete the withdrawal process and move on as swiftly as possible to the negotiation on the European Union's future partnership with the United Kingdom."

10:45 Finnish Prime Minister Antti Rinne said: "The ball again is in the British Parliament('s court) ... I hope it goes through this time."

"I hope we are now at the end of this process. But there are still many doubts — for instance, inside the British Parliament."

Watch video 01:33 Share Jobs and investment stall in pre-Brexit UK Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3RMdW Jobs and investment stall in pre-Brexit UK

10:41 EU leaders arriving in the Belgian capital for a summit are commenting on the agreement. French President Emmanuel Macron said the deal was "good news."

"The deal now needs to be technically explained, politically presented. It will be done in the coming hours. As far as I'm concerned, I am satisfied we managed to find it and reasonably confident it can be ratified by the British and European parliament."

10:25 Britain's main opposition party is "unhappy" with the new Brexit deal, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said in Brussels.

"From what we know, it seems the prime minister has negotiated an even worse deal than Theresa May's, which was overwhelmingly rejected," Corbyn said.

10:14 Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said: "Very encouraging news that there is an agreement, now we have to study the details. But in itself very encouraging."

9:50 The pound has surged following news of the provisional deal on Brexit. The currency, which has been volatile over the past week on conflicting reports of progress, jumped to $1.2934 (€1.16) from $1.2805 earlier in the morning.

9:35 Johnson has praised the deal between Britain and the EU, saying they have agreed on a "great" new Brexit deal and urging lawmakers to approve it on the weekend.

"Now parliament should get Brexit done on Saturday so we can move on to other priorities like the cost of living, the NHS, violent crime and our environment."

9:34 "Where there is a will, there is a #deal — we have one! It’s a fair and balanced agreement for the EU and the UK and it is testament to our commitment to find solutions," Juncker wrote on Twitter.

8:35 The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) of Northern Ireland has said it cannot back the terms of the current deal on the table.

"As things stand, we could not support what is being suggested on customs and consent issues and there is a lack of clarity on VAT," the party leadership said in a statement posted on Twitter.

7:30 German Chancellor Angela Merkel addressed the German Bundestag and said that an "agreement is still possible," which is, "why we need to continue to do everything to bring the negotiations to a successful end."

Watch video 02:23 Share Scottish fisheries‘ Brexit woes Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3RQM4 Scottish salmon farmers worry about post-Brexit exports

law, mmc/rt (AP, Reuters, AFP, dpa)