The UK Prime Minister says she's pushing for an earlier Brexit - hopefully by the end of May. It's what the European Union initially aimed for before giving Britain a deadline of October 31st. The new date means the UK will not crash out of the EU on Friday. Theresa May's push is a compromise since many European leaders favored a delay for up to a year. But France's President wanted a Brexit deadline in June, accusing pro-Brexiters are trying to 'blackmail' the EU. Mariam Zaidi has more from the EU capital.

Trick or treat? The 31st of October, Halloween mark that in your diaries. This is the new date for Brexit. The European Union have granted the UK a considerable extension to Article 50.

But getting here,  well, took hours.

The mood was calm, nigh friendly. Leader after leader walked the red carpet but it was unknown what Brexit path they would set the UK down. Despite calling for a delay till June 30th, all Theresa May wanted was time.

THERESA MAY UK PRIME MINISTER "The purpose of this summit is to agree to an extension that gives us more time to agree a deal to enable us to leave the EU in that smooth and orderly way."

Just ahead of the latest in a growing line of emergency Brexit summits, EU Council President Donald Tusk had called for a one-year flexible extension. Or as he called it a "flextension". But cue a thorny French President Emmanuel Macron.

EMMANUEL MACRON FRENCH PRESIDENT "For me nothing should be taken for granted. Especially not a long extension. We must understand why they are asking for that. How do they justify it."

And MEPs agreed. They wanted iron clad guarantees that a member state on the way out would not disrupt.

PHILLIPE LAMBERTS BELGIAN GREEN MEP "We expect you to keep abiding by the treaty and this principle of sincere cooperation. So if you are here obviously to filibuster, to torpedo EU decision making you will not be fulfilling your legal obligations."

Talks between Theresa May and her 27 EU counterparts lasted an hour. But as the hours began to pass it seemed an impasse had been caused by Macron. He wanted the UK gone sooner rather than later.

Weary eyes welcomed a confirmation just before 2 am. October 31st was a go. But it came with a special message for the UK.

DONALD TUSK EUROPEAN COUNCIL PRESIDENT "Extension is as flexible as I expected but shorter than I expected but enough to find a solution. Please don't waste this time."

MARIAM ZAIDI BRUSSELS "Theresa May wasn't only successful in getting an extension, she got even more than she came to bargain for - an extra 4 months. She may well spin this as "sensible". Plus with that built-in review in June, there's still a chance the UK could get out before October. But a longer than wanted extension to Brexit may well provoke a furious backlash back in the UK. MZA CGTN BRU."