The Citizen (KZN)

Britain leaves with PM’s deal

SOURCE: PARLIAMENT HAS TAKEN CONTROL BACK

- London

Talks between the opposition and Conservati­ves on timetable ongoing.

The United Kingdom will ultimately leave the European Union on the terms of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal, even though parliament has complicate­d the timing of the divorce, a senior Downing Street source said.

“This ends with us leaving with the PM’s deal,” the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said. “We will leave with a deal, with the PM’s deal.”

When asked when Brexit would happen, given a deadline of

October 31, the source said: “Parliament has taken back control.”

So will there be an election before Christmas? “Perhaps,” the source said. “We shall see.”

Johnson won the top job by staking his career on getting Brexit done by the latest deadline of October 31 after his predecesso­r, Theresa

May, was forced to delay the departure date. Parliament rejected her deal three times, by margins of between 58 and 230 votes earlier this year.

More than three years since the United Kingdom voted 52-48 to be the first sovereign country to leave the European project, the United Kingdom is waiting for the EU to decide how long the latest delay to Brexit should be.

After Johnson clinched a last-minute deal a week ago in Brussels, the British parliament on Tuesday voted 329 to 299 in favour of the second reading of the legislatio­n for the deal, but defeated his extremely tight legislativ­e timetable.

Johnson said it was up to the EU to decide whether it wanted to delay Brexit and for how long.

European Council President Donald Tusk said he was recommendi­ng that the leaders of the EU’s 27 other member states back a delay.

Talks between the opposition Labour Party and whips from Johnson’s Conservati­ve Party on setting a timetable to pass Brexit legislatio­n are ongoing, a Labour source said on Wednesday. –

So will there be an election before Christmas? ‘Perhaps.’

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