Too soon to say if Britain's parliament will sit on Saturday - parliament leader

State Opening of British Parliament in London

LONDON (Reuters) - It is too soon to say whether Britain's parliament will need to sit on Saturday, Jacob Rees-Mogg, leader of the lower house of parliament, said on Tuesday, in a reference to ongoing talks in Brussels over a Brexit deal.

Last week, a source said the government planned to hold a special sitting of parliament on Oct. 19, following an EU summit on Oct. 17-18 when Prime Minister Boris Johnson hopes to secure a deal to leave the European Union.

Saturday could become one of the most critical days in Britain's Brexit crisis after parliament passed a law which would force Johnson to seek a delay to his deadline of Oct. 31 if he has not agreed an exit deal by Oct. 19.

"A Saturday sitting is an extremely unusual process dependent upon events but the events that may require a Saturday sitting have not yet reached their fruition and it is only after that point has been reached that it would be sensible to confirm what exactly will be happening on Saturday," Rees-Mogg told parliament when asked if the sitting would go ahead.

(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper, Editing by Kylie MacLellan)