(ROUGH CUT - NO REPORTER NARRATION) German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday (April 11) that a new October 31 deadline for Brexit gave the EU the best chance of an orderly withdrawal.

European Union leaders at a summit in Brussels handed British Prime Minister Theresa May the new deadline, four months longer than the prime minister asked for.

Merkel had been among those arguing for an even longer extension but the compromise was reached after French President Emmanuel Macron argued that a shorter extension would help focus British minds and prevent the process from dragging on.