MPs vote to delay Johnson’s Brexit
LONDON: The euphoric overtones of Prime Minister Boris Johnson reaching a new Brexit agreement on Thursday evaporated on Saturday when the House of Commons voted to force him to seek a delay to the October 31 Brexit deadline, a situation he has often rejected.
Before the latest Brexit agreement reached with Brussels on Thursday could be tabled and voted upon, House of Commons speaker John Bercow selected an amendment moved by rebel Conservative MP Oliver Letwin that forces Johnson to seek a delay to Brexit beyond October 31. The amendment was passed by 322 against 302 votes.
After the amendment was carried, the government dropped the motion seeking approval for the Brexit agreement. It will come again in the House in the form of a bill on Tuesday, when the government will hope to get it passed.
Under a law enacted in September to prevent Brexit without an agreement, if an agreement is not approved by 11pm on October 19, Johnson is required by law to send a letter to Brussels on Sunday requesting that Brexit be delayed until January 31 — three months after his self-imposed deadline.
Johnson has been insisting he will not seek another delay.
The result prolongs the threeand-a-half years of political turmoil triggered by the referendum on Britain’s exit from the European Union (EU). The possible outcomes range from delaying Brexit — allowing time for a general election or a second referendum on leaving — to a battle in court, or a chaotic and economically damaging departure from the bloc without a deal in just 12 days. Johnson said: “Alas the opportunity to have a meaningful vote has been effectively been passed up because the meaningful vote has been voided of meaning… But I wish the House to know that I’m not daunted or dismayed…”
“I continue in the very strong belief that the best thing for the UK and for the whole of Europe is for us to leave with this new deal on October 31. And to anticipate the questions that are coming from the benches opposite, I will not negotiate a delay with the EU, and neither does the law compel me to do so.”
“So next week the government will introduce the legislation needed for us to leave the EU with our new deal on October 31… I will continue to do all I can to get Brexit done on October 31 and I continue to commend this excellent deal,” he said.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said after the amendment was passed: “The prime minister must now comply with the law. He can no longer use the threat of a no-deal crash-out to blackmail MPs to support his sell-out deal.”
Besides Labour, Liberal Democrats and the Scottish National Party, those who voted against the government included the Democratic Unionist Party, which has been propping up the minority Conservative government since the 2017 mid-term election.Voting on the amendment was preceded by five hours of debate when MPs rehearsed their argument for and against Brexit, with Johnson imploring MPs to oppose the amendment and back the Brexit agreement.
“Let us come together as democrats behind this deal, the one proposition that fulfils the verdict of the majority but which also allows us to bring together the two halves of our hearts, to bring together the two halves of our nation,” he urged.
Should Johnson concede and sends the letter to EU seeking an extension, the move will require the unanimous agreement of EU leaders. On Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron had said one shouldn’t be granted. But Macron made similar noises before approving a Brexit delay in April. EU officials say it’s unlikely that he or any other leader would refuse another one, particularly if the UK was headed for a general election.
On Saturday, the French presidency said in a statement: “Our message is clear: a deal has been negotiated. It is now up to the British parliament to say if it approves it or rejects it. An additional delay is in no one’s interest.”