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There is renewed confidence in Brussels that the UK is moving towards a general election and resolution of the first Brexit phase.
Johnson’s attempt to secure both a short period for pushing the withdrawal agreement bill through the Commons as well as a post-Brexit general election on 12 December was defeated on Monday evening.
But there are signs that there may still be a majority for a pre-Brexit general election after the government indicated it would table a bill allowing that to happen.
The Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, gave his most positive comments yet about a December poll in his statement to the Commons following the vote on Monday evening. “We agree that an early election is necessary,” he said.
The French government is leading the way in insisting that in December the EU’s 27 members should sit down in the cold light of day to hold discussions on strategy for the future negotiations over the relationship with the UK.
An Élysée palace official said: “It’s healthy to sit down and lay out our ideas for future negotiations, to stop reacting in the heat of the moment to this or that Brexit event.” [...]
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