23 October 2019

Financial Times: Boris Johnson wins Brexit deal vote but is thwarted on deadline

Boris Johnson won the backing of MPs for his Brexit deal in a landmark vote in the House of Commons, but a snap election was back on the agenda after MPs derailed his attempt to take Britain out of the EU on October 31.

European Council president Donald Tusk proposed offering Mr Johnson a Brexit extension until January 31, after MPs voted against Mr Johnson’s plan to railroad his exit legislation through the Commons in time for the Halloween deadline.

But Mr Johnson’s allies said the prime minister would push for a general election rather than face further delays, putting pressure on Labour to either back an early poll or agree a tight new timetable to pass the Brexit legislation.

Mr Johnson succeeded where his predecessor Theresa May failed three times, as MPs convincingly backed his Brexit deal in principle by voting for the second reading of the Withdrawal Agreement bill by 329 to 299.

A total of 19 Labour MPs from Leave areas joined independents and hardline Eurosceptic Tories to form a ramshackle pro-deal coalition, which delivered a bigger than expected majority of 30 for Mr Johnson’s withdrawal agreement bill. 

But the prime minister’s attempt to ram the bill through parliament in time for his “do or die” Brexit deadline was rebuffed by MPs, who want more time to scrutinise the legislation. MPs rejected the so-called programme motion by 322 votes to 308.

The defeat on the “timetable motion” for the bill means that Mr Johnson will almost certainly miss his Halloween Brexit deadline; it also made it harder for the prime minister to make a dash to the polls in a pre-Christmas general election.

Mr Tusk said he would “recommend” that EU leaders accept the UK’s request to delay the Brexit deadline until January 31 2020. This could be shortened if Britain ratified the exit deal at an earlier date. [...]

Full article on Financial Times (subscription required)

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