British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has stuck by his vow to leave the European Union with or without a deal by October 31, even after MPs voted to withhold his deal with the union.
“I will not negotiate a delay with the EU, and neither does the law compel me to do so,” Johnson told Parliament after the passage of the Letwin amendment, an addition to Johnson’s proposed deal that would withhold support for the plan until legislation required to pass the bill is passed by Parliament as well.
In effect, the passage of the amendment means Johnson is now required to ask Brussels for a three-month delay to Brexit by the end of Saturday, as mandated by the Benn Act.
Johnson, however, has signaled he may defy the act, telling lawmakers that “further delay will be bad for this country, bad for the European Union, and bad for democracy.”
Instead, he said his government will introduce fresh Brexit legislation when the Commons meets again next week.
Downing Street has remained silent on whether Johnson will actually abide by the terms of the Letwin amendment and write to the EU on Saturday evening. The amendment, as described by its author, Tory MP Sir Oliver Letwin, was intended as an “insurance policy” to hold up Johnson’s deal until the legislation required to enact it is passed.
Johnson said that any vote on his deal would not be “meaningful” if the bill passed, as parliament would still withhold its approval.
The House of Commons has stated that Johnson is mandated by law to seek an extension, while opposition leaders have threatened the prime minister with court should he ignore it.
The House of Commons has approved the amended motion on the new Brexit deal agreed between the UK Government and the EU.
The Government must ask for an extension of Article 50 under the Benn Act and set out how it intends to proceed.
Johnson’s options now are limited. The prime minister could technically fulfil the obligations of the Benn Act and ask the EU for an extension, while at the same time sending another letter asking Europe to ignore the first. The EU could also grant the UK a shorter extension than the three months mandated by Benn, which would allow Johnson to keep pressure on the opposition and prevent them from debating and changing the content of his deal.
With the prime minister’s path to Brexit uncertain, a spokeswoman for EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker asked “for the UK government to inform us about the next steps as soon as possible.”
🇪🇺🇬🇧 @EU_Commission takes note of the vote in the House of Commons today on the so-called #Letwin Amendment meaning that the #WithdrawalAgreement itself was not put to vote today. It will be for the UK government to inform us about the next steps as soon as possible.
