Boris Johnson is sending the letter to Brussels he never wanted to write. Bound by a law passed by opposition Members of Parliament, he will formally ask the European Union to delay Brexit until Jan. 31, according to a person familiar with the matter. At the same time, he pledged to push on with his plans to leave by his Oct. 31 deadline. Johnson spoke to European Council President Donald Tusk this evening and confirmed that the letter would be sent before tonight’s deadline, an EU official said. Tusk will then start consulting EU leaders on how to react, which may take a few days. A unanimous vote is required to ... (full story)