Brexit battle heats up as MPs question Boris Johnson’s ‘trick’
MPs are returning to parliament this morning for what is set to be an explosive first day after summer recess.
Last night Prime Minister Boris Johnson threw the gauntlet down to his backbench rebels, telling the world he would not ask for any further extension to Brexit.
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He added: “I don’t want an election; you don’t want an election.”
But minutes after Johnson spoke at the podium, a senior government source confirmed a snap election would be held if rebels succeeded in taking control of the legislative agenda, by treating this as an effective confidence vote.
Johnson’s team said the election would be held on 14 October, ahead of the critical European Council summit that week, and leaving a fortnight before Brexit’s default Halloween deadline.
However there are widespread fears that the Prime Minister could shift the date back to November, facilitating a no-deal Brexit, once he has secured enough votes to go ahead. Under the Fixed Term Parliaments Act, two-thirds of MPs must vote for a General Election.
Yesterday Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he welcomed a chance to go to the polls. “I’m ready for it, you’re ready for it, we’re ready for it,” he said.
But, this morning several politicians said they would only vote to approve it if Article 50 had already been extended.
Shadow Northern Ireland secretary Tony Lloyd told Newsnight: “We are not daft enough to see a tactic dictated by PM Johnson which is designed to land us with a no-deal Brexit and to fall for that.
“Will we fall for Boris Johnson’s trick, no we won’t. Boris Johnson is a man who has got form for reneging on his promises.”
Shadow attorney general Shami Chakrabarti, who sits in the House of Lords, told the BBC Labour would “need to get the sequencing right” before they would commit to a General Election.
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The party would demand “a locked in guarantee that Britain would not crash out of the EU during a campaign period”, she added. “We are geared up for a general election and we want it as soon as possible.”
Nick Boles, Tory-turned-independent MP, tweeted: “The Article 50 extension must have been secured and implemented before an early election can be held. So no election can take place before 31 Oct.”
Main image: Getty