7 DEMANDS TO BIND THE PM’S HANDS
MPS will push today for an incendiary law to be passed through the Commons in a bid to frustrate the Prime Minister’s Brexit plans. Their demands are: 1 The PM must seek an extension of Article 50 unless Parliament votes for a deal or are in favour of a No Deal exit by October 19. Boris Johnson 2 must write to European Council President Donald Tusk requesting an extension to 11pm on January 31, 2020. 3 The Bill even includes the precise text of the letter he must send: ‘Dear Mr President, The UK Parliament has passed the European Union (Withdrawal) (No 2) Act 2019. Its provisions now require Her Majesty’s Government to seek an extension of the period provided under Article 50... currently due to expire at 11.00pm GMT on 31 October 2019, until 11.00pm BST on 31 January 2020... Yours sincerely, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.’ 4 If the EU demands an extension to another date, the PM must agree to Brussels’ request within two days. Government 5 must publish a report by November 30 explaining what progress has been made in the negotiations with the EU, and MPs and peers will have to vote on this report within five days. If this report is 6 rejected or
amended, the Government must publish another report setting out plans for another extension and further negotiations with the EU. 7 From February 7, 2020, onwards, the Government must publish a report every 28 days explaining how the negotiations are going.