Boris Johnson news – live: EU delays Brexit extension decision until next week, as Labour vows to scupper PM’s election bid
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EU ambassadors failed to reach agreement on a further Brexit extension at a meeting on Friday morning, postponing their decision in a move that could have a bearing on whether Boris Johnson gets his pre-Christmas general election.
The prime minister challenged MPs to back his call for a December 12 vote in return for more time to scrutinise his Brexit deal. Mr Johnson will need Labour votes if he is to win the two-thirds of MPs required to get an election under the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act (FTPA).
Jeremy Corbyn said he would only agree to an election once Mr Johnson takes a no-deal Brexit “off the table” – and suggested the PM could do that within “a couple of days”. Mr Johnson said it would be “morally incredible” for Labour to refuse an election.
Opposition parties block PM’s demand for 12 December election
Boris Johnson’s gamble on an early election looks set to flop, after opposition parties signalled they will block a poll so long as a no-deal Brexit remains possible.
The prime minister dramatically issued a demand for a 12 December election after abandoning his “do-or-die” pledge to take the UK out of the EU by Halloween.
But Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn that he would not countenance an election while no-deal Brexit remains a possibility.
“We are not resisting the chance to have an election, we want an election because we want to take our case to the people of this country,” said the Labour leader.
“But we do not want this country to be in any danger of crashing out of the EU without a deal because of all the damage it will do to jobs across this country.”
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon indicated her party would oppose an election: “Johnson appears to be saying to MPs ‘If you vote for an election, I’ll bring back my bad Brexit bill and try to drag us out of the EU before we go to the polls’.
And Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson said: “The Liberal Democrats will not support any election until it is clear that we can avoid crashing out with no deal, and that needs an extension from the EU.”
Our political editor has all the details:
Juncker says Johnson lied during referendum
Jean-Claude Juncker has accused Boris Johnson of spreading “lies” during the Brexit referendum campaign, in his most strongly worded attack on the prime minister yet.
Speaking on Thursday evening the European Commission president said he “should have intervened” in the campaign to point out “bulls***” and falsehoods spread by “Boris Johnson and others”.
Our Europe correspondent has more:
Labour badly divided on whether to agree to general election
There was confusion bordering on chaos last night, when the Labour whips reassured backbenchers – who loathe the idea of a 12 December election – that the party would “abstain on this motion” and they were free to oppose it if they liked.
On camera later, however, Corbyn appeared to take a different tack. “Take no-deal off the table and we absolutely support a general election,” he said, hinting he would make a firm decision once the EU had come back with an extension.
So what will Labour do? Most MPs, including some members of Corbyn’s cabinet, will try to twist their leader’s arm against what one Labour figure called “a two-mile wide trap” set by Johnson.
One shadow cabinet source told The Independent: “We’d lose half the parliamentary party if we back it.”
But Corbyn’s closest allies are gung-ho. Chairman Ian Lavery, preceded by Tubthumping, gave a speech at Labour HQ yesterday.
If an election comes “you’re going to feel like crying at times and not with joy … that’s normal,” he reportedly said.
Laura Parker, Momentum’s national coordinator, said “bring it on”, while Jon Trickett, the shadow cabinet office minister, tweeted: “Our troops are ready, the party is fully prepared. Let’s get at them!!”
A reminder: Labour are 10 points behind the Tories in the latest poll of polls.
Diane Abbott says Labour may need ‘further legislation’ to rule out a no-deal Brexit
Shadow home secretary Diane Abbott said the Labour Party needs an “explicit commitment” that a no-deal Brexit scenario is definitively ruled out before agreeing to an election.
She told the Today programme: “The Labour Party is definitely up for an election, but there are two things we need to know.
“One is what sort of extension the EU is going to give and as you say we won’t know until Monday,” she said of the possibility Brussels’ chiefs will move to an emergency summit early next week.
Abbott said they also want to hear from the Prime Minister that he will take no deal off the table.
“But be in no doubt, party members, and the party as a whole, is ready for and keen for an election,” she claimed.
Abbott said the “explicit commitment” ruling out no deal may mean further legislation in parliament.
She also said offers from Mr Johnson are “not worth the paper they’re written on”.
Abbott added: “The December day [12 December] is a ludicrous day. We’ve not had a general election at Christmas for over a century, and there's good reasons for that.”
Could the EU delay the big extension decision?
If you’re just joining us we have live coverage of events at Westminster and Brussels, where the EU ambassadors are meeting at 10am local time this morning to decide how long an extension should be.
The French and some smaller member states are still holding out for a shorter delay of just a few weeks, but diplomats say the majority of member states want the deadline set back to 31 January next year.
This is seen as the “neutral” option because it was the extension sought by the UK Benn Act.
We’ll know more late this morning – including whether a European Council summit will be needed early next week to reach a final decision after Boris Johnson made his dramatic general election offer.
Here’s our Europe correspondent Jon Stone on the deliberations:
Sajid Javid says Tories will push ‘again and again’ for election
Chancellor Sajid Javid has railed against “this zombie parliament” and said the government will push for an election “again and again” if opposition parties continue to refuse his offer of a 12 December vote.
He told the Today programme: “The opposition have said, week after week, that if there is a delay of three months, which is what they requested through parliament, then they will vote for a general election, so let’s see if they keep their word.
“And if they don't then we will keep bringing back to parliament a motion to have an election. And we will keep doing that again and again.”
He added: “As for other parliamentary business, we’ll have to wait and see what that is, and we will react to it at that time.
“But the most important issue is to get Brexit done, and to have that general election.”
Javid added that he believes it is “very likely” the EU will grant a three-month extension. “Three-and-a-half years ago this decision was made and there's been delay after delay after delay. And we have to end this, end this uncertainty.”
“We’ve tried everything we can. We don't have a majority in Parliament, so it does require some co-operation by the opposition.
“And, instead of Jeremy Corbyn, as the leader the opposition, thinking about the national interest, he has decided to put his own interests first and dither and delay.”
French politician says extension cannot be ‘for nothing’
French politician Marie Lebec from Emmanuel Macron’s En Marche! party told the Today programme that any Brexit extension should not be “for nothing”.
Lebec said the French position is that uncertainty has economic consequences on companies and families, and said if there is a “flextension” there needs to be “clear steps” on what the UK is going to do.
The French are believed to have been pushing for a much shorter extension than the 31 January date the UK government formally requested (against Boris Johnson’s will), in a bid to focus MPs minds on the need to pass Brexit legislation.
German MEP David McAllister, meanwhile, said: “Well the debate within the council is still ongoing. The ambassadors will meet today in Brussels.
“I believe that in the end the leaders of the EU 27 will agree on an extension in a written procedure.
“However they need to decide by unanimity. The European Parliament’s group leaders yesterday decided to write to Donald Tusk to recommend that he accepts the request for a further extension until January 31.
“And I believe that is the right way forward.”
The nightmare before Christmas
If you missed our sketch writer Tom Peck’s latest piece, he points that if Boris Johnson gets his desired December election date, we will find out who governs the country on the morning of Friday the 13th.
“That’s right: Johnson or Corbyn for Christmas. I mean I know we’ve been naughty but still. That bad?”
Read more here:
Where do the Lib Dems and SNP stand on election?
Politicians in both parties were making encouraging noises about agreeing to an election only yesterday – until Boris Johnson came forward with his offer. Now they don’t like the idea so much.
Both Jo Swinson and Nicola Sturgeon appeared to be opposed to Johnson’s attempt to parliamentary debate of his Brexit bill to the 12 December election date – fearing it gives him a chance of getting the UK out of the EU before polling day.
Sturgeon indicated her party would oppose an election: “Johnson appears to be saying to MPs ‘If you vote for an election, I’ll bring back my bad Brexit bill and try to drag us out of the EU before we go to the polls’.
“Elections should be exercises in letting voters decide, not devices for charlatans to get their own way.”
Swinson said: “The Liberal Democrats will not support any election until it is clear that we can avoid crashing out with no deal, and that needs an extension from the EU.”
Lib Dem MP Heidi Allen said this morning: “No deal has to be taken off the table and we need to get that proper extension in place,” accusing the prime minister of “playing with parliament”. She added: “We’re not completely stupid – having an election in December when there are no students are at university would be helpful to [Johnson]”.
SNP’s Westminster leader wants 5 December election
A disclaimer to our last post about SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon’s apparent opposition to the PM’s 12 December general election offer.
SNP MP Ian Blackford – the party’s leader at Westminster – said this morning that there should be an election “as early as possible” once the EU grants a Brexit extension, suggesting December 5 as a potential poll date.
He told the Today programme: “The closer you move towards Christmas ... people are obviously looking at nativity plays, Christmas parties, the unavailability of halls and schools and all the rest of it.
“It’s better to get this done as soon as is practically possible. The 5th of December would be an awful lot easier than it would be leaving it an extra week and getting right into that Christmas run-up period.”
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