It's 10 days until the deadline that the European Union has set for the United Kingdom to submit details on Brexit, the exit of the U.K. from the EU. The U.K. Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, was in Europe last week for a meeting with European Union leaders; at that meeting, the leaders agreed to a deal that contained many specifics of that economic and political divorce. However, the deal is contingent on the U.K. Parliament's agreeing to the details; yet again on Saturday, Parliament didn't agree.

The U.K. lawmakers had earlier passed a law requiring Johnson to ask for another extension if they didn't approve a deal. After the vote on Saturday, Johnson did indeed ask the EU for an extension; but the manner in which he did so was not straightforward. A letter from the U.K. Government did indeed go to the EU, asking for a delay; Johnson did not sign that letter. He did sign a second letter, from his office only, that insisted that he did not want any further delay. Johnson campaigned for Brexit during the referendum three years ago and made promotion of it a pillar of his campaign to succeed Theresa May as leader of the Conservative Party earlier this year.

The Parliament vote was close–322 against to 306 in favor. So it's possible that Johnson can convince enough lawmakers to change their minds before the October 31 deadline. If that doesn't happen, then the U.K. will leave the EU with no deal in place. What happens then, many experts have predicted, is chaos. Right away, uncertainties about trade and immigration and even political sovereignty will abound. Members of the EU don't have to worry about such things because they are all covered under the EU's governing framework. If the U.K. is once again not a part of the EU, then both parties will have to negotiate new terms on a veritable host of issues, all of which, experts say, will take time and try patience.

The unsigned letter to the EU asked for an extension until Jan. 31, 2020. One newspaper in the U.K. has already reported that EU leaders are willing to grant that extension. But, as before, all members of the EU have to approve such an extension. They did so in April.

Meanwhile, Johnson has offered to submit the Brexit deal to Parliament yet again this week, in hopes of gaining a different result. Neither he nor May have managed to convince Parliament to approve the various proposals that they have put forth. Paradoxically, Parliament voted in March not to approve a so-called "no-deal Brexit." The Conservative Party does not have a majority in Parliament and so must seek support from other parties in order to pass legislation.