The UK parliament yesterday voted to prevent prime minister Boris Johnson taking Britain out of the European Union without a deal on October 31, but rejected his first bid to call a snap election two weeks before the scheduled exit.

Bank of England governor Mark Carney has said the impact of a no-deal Brexit would be less severe than first thought, saying that preparations for a disorderly departure had helped to reduce the likely hit to the UK economy.

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Christine Lagarde has moved a major step to becoming the European Central Bank’s next president, securing the backing of a European Parliament committee.