The leaders of the 27 EU member states, meeting at a summit in Brussels on Thursday, unanimously endorsed the revised agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union.

“The European Council endorses the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community. On this basis, the European Council invites the Commission, the European Parliament and the Council to take the necessary steps to ensure that the agreement can enter into force on 1st November 2019, so as to provide for an orderly withdrawal,” conclusions agreed by the EU leaders say.

The leaders also endorsed the text of the political declaration on future relations between the EU and the UK.

“The European Council restates the Union's determination to have as close as possible a partnership with the United Kingdom in the future in line with the Political Declaration,” the conclusions say.

Addressing a news conference, European Council President Donald Tusk said: “It looks like we are very close to the final stretch. … Now we are all waiting for the votes in both parliaments.”

“We are prepared for ratification. Now the ball is the court of the UK,” he added.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said: “What we have agreed on is much more than a deal — it's a legal text which provides legal certainty to the problems created by Brexit.”

The British Parliament is meeting on Saturday for an extraordinary session to discuss the agreement reached.