Labour: Pre-Christmas General Election will happen if PM asks for Brexit delay on 19 October
Shadow attorney general Shami Chakrabarti has said Labour will agree to an election “this side of Christmas” if Boris Johnson asks the European Union for a Brexit extension on 19 October.
Johnson has until this date to broker a Brexit deal with the EU or else he will be forced to ask for an extension as stated in the so-called Benn bill.
Baroness Chakrabarti told the BBC this morning that she hopes for an election in November, despite recent reports claiming Labour preferred one next year.
The life peer also claimed the Benn bill does not have any loopholes that would allow Johnson not to ask for an extension and to take the UK out of the EU without a deal.
This is despite widespread claims that Number 10 has found a way to avoid asking for an extension so it can take Britain out of the EU on October 31 “do or die”.
Brexit secretary Stephen Barclay later told Andrew Marr he was not aware of any plans to bypass the Benn bill and force a no-deal Brexit.
He added the UK would leave the EU on 31 October, but that the government would also “abide by the law”.
Despite this, Barclay also said Johnson would not ask for a Brexit extension from the European Union.