British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he would give parliament more time to scrutinise his Brexit plan if it agrees to hold a snap general election on 12 December.
The Conservative premier suspended debates on his EU divorce deal after parliament on Tuesday refused to fast-track the hearings ahead of the 31 October Brexit deadline.
Mr Johnson is opposed to delaying Britain's exit from the European Union a third time.
But MPs on Tuesday also gave their support "in principle" for the agreement.
It marked the first time the House of Commons had backed any Brexit proposal since the 2016 EU referendum.
The EU is expected to agree on the length of a Brexit deadline extension on Friday.
At parliament's behest, Mr Johnson has formally submitted a request for a three-month delay.
Mr Johnson said on Thursday that the only way to achieve a breakthrough in the process was for parliament to vote in favour of holding a general election.
"The way to get Brexit done is, I think, to be reasonable with parliament and say if they genuinely want more time to study this excellent deal, they can have it - but they have to agree on a general election on December 12," he said.
"It's time, frankly, that the opposition summoned up the nerve to submit themselves to the judgment of our collective boss, which is the people of the UK."
Mr Johnson must win the support of two-thirds of MPs in the House of Commons to hold early polls under current election rules.
Anti-Brexit remain in the European Union supporters protest backdropped by the Houses of Parliament in London. Source: AAP
The government could also try a different legal route that only requires a simple majority of 50 per cent plus one vote.
But such a proposal would be amendable and allow the opposition to either change the date or make the vote conditional on other issues.
