EU leaders endorse Johnson’s plan

All eyes on Saturday’s proceedings at UK parliament after European bosses gave new agreement their go-ahead

BRUSSELS: European leaders on Thursday endorsed a Brexit withdrawal agreement drawn up between London and the European Union, which will now go to the British parliament for ratification.

A summit of EU leaders “endorsed this deal and it looks like we are very close to the final stretch”, EU Council president Donald Tusk told reporters after they met British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Tusk made the announcement alongside EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker, EU negotiator Michel Barnier and Ireland’s Prime Minister Leo Varadkar.

Barnier said that the deal must now be ratified by the British and European parliaments “before the end of October” in order to go into effect before Britain leaves the bloc.

“What we have agreed on is much more than a deal. It’s a legal text that provides certainty for the problems created by Brexit,” Juncker said.

JOHNSON: MY DEAL OR DISORDERLY BREXIT

BRUSSELS: Johnson believes lawmakers have to choose between voting for his new Brexit deal or risking a disorderly exit from the EU because delaying the departure is no longer an option, a senior British official said.

Lawmakers will vote on Johnson’s

Brexit deal on Saturday. Parliament has passed a law forcing Johnson to ask for a Brexit delay beyond October 31 if he cannot get a deal passed by parliament.

Johnson has said his government will respect the law but that Britain will be leaving the EU on October 31 no matter what.

JUNCKER SAYS NO NEED FOR MORE DELAY

BRUSSELS: European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker congratulated Johnson on their Brexit withdrawal deal and said it meant there should be “no further delay”.

“We have a deal, and this deal means there is no need for any kind of prolongation,” Juncker told reporters as he welcomed the British leader to EU headquarters ahead of summit talks.

Pro-EU parliamentarians hope they can defeat it and Brexit can still be delayed to allow a general election or a new referendum on whether to leave the EU at all.

JOHNSON’S FOE PLANS ANOTHER LAWSUIT

LONDON: The lawyer who spearheaded successful challenges to Johnson’s Brexit plan is preparing another lawsuit.

This time, attorney Jolyon Maugham hopes to use what he sees as a legal breach in taxation legislation to secure more time for parliament to scrutinise the agreement with the European Union.