BORIS COMES OUT FIGHTING FOR HIS DEAL
A DEFIANT Boris Johnson last night refused to be cowed by Remainer plots to thwart Brexit and vowed Britain would be leaving the EU by October 31.
The Prime Minister sent a letter to the EU requesting an extension, as he was legally obliged to after Parliamentary shenanigans saw a vote on his deal delayed.
But he also asked Brussels to “send Parliament a message”, making it clear the EU would reject any further delay to Brexit, sources said.
He wrote a similar letter to MPS and Peers warning that the EU could turn down an extension request.
MPS were supposed to vote on his deal yesterday but an amendment by Sir Oliver Letwin meant he was forced to cancel the vote.
Frustration with the blocking moves by the Remainer alliance of Labour, Scottish Nationalist, Lib Dem and rebel Tory MPS appeared to be growing on the continent with diplomatic sources insisting that MPS would need to have a meaningful vote on the deal before any other decision can be made.
The Prime Minister warned MPS will have no option but to choose between his deal and no deal.
He told them: “I will not negotiate a delay with the EU and neither does the law compel me to do so. I will tell our friends and colleagues in the EU exactly what I have told everyone else in the last 88 days that I have served as prime minister: that further delay would be bad for this country, bad for the European Union and bad for democracy.”
The Government has confirmed that it intends to bring back the meaningful vote tomorrow or Tuesday at the latest to force MPS to finally make a decision.
There is confidence among ministers that enough Labour rebels are prepared to back the deal if it comes to a meaningful vote in Parliament. Meanwhile, Mr Johnson will hit the phones for a round of calls to European leaders to urge them not to drag the process out beyond Halloween. He also sent the letter demanded by Parliament to ask for an extension, but it was accompanied by an additional letter telling the EU he does not want it.
A Downing Street source said that he made clear to the EU that the letter asking for the extension was “Parliament’s letter”.
In his second letter it is understood he pointed out that an extension “is bad for the UK, bad for the EU” and he added that “we have a good
deal”. He is understood to have asked European leaders to “send Parliament a message”, that no further delay would be tolerated.
The tactics by the Remainer alliance appeared to have backfired last night as diplomatic sources from France, Germany and Brussels all said that an extension will not be considered unless MPS have a meaningful vote on the deal.
A French diplomatic source said another delay would be in nobody’s interest but the EU would be loath to propel the United Kingdom towards a disorderly exit by refusing to delay.
Meanwhile, senior Tory MPS were being briefed last night that French President Emmanuel Macron, who is reportedly fed up with the constant delay, has said privately he will veto any extension beyond October 31.
The dramatic developments came after almost six hours of heated and bad tempered debate in the Commons and a stunning vote by 322 to 306 to accept the wrecking amendment laid by former Tory grandee Sir Oliver Letwin.
The 26-word amendment had the effect of making the meaningful vote on the deal “meaningless” and was quickly exposed as a blocking measure to try to stop Brexit.
It meant that MPS who had filed in