EU ambassadors have agreed on a Brexit extension until 31 January 2020 – killing off Boris Johnson’s pledge to deliver the UK’s exit from the bloc by Halloween. I
It comes as the prime minister lost his attempt to call an election on 12 December, after failing to achieve a two-thirds majority in the Commons. But the Lib Dems and the SNP have proposed a one-line bill to bypass the FTPA – one that would require only a simple majority to get an election.
No 10 said the government would introduce an “almost identical” one-line bill if Mr Johnson’s initial bid fails. Senior Labour figures condemned Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson’s “sell-out” offer to help the PM secure a December poll.
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of events at Westminster and Brussels, where EU ambassadors meet this morning and are expected to sanction another Brexit extension.
PM ready to use Lib Dem-SNP idea as his ‘Plan b’
The chances of a pre-Christmas election are rising after Boris Jonson revealed a “plan B” to send the UK to the polls, if he suffers an expected defeat in the Commons later today.
No 10 said it is ready to explore “all options” – including new legislation – to persuade MPs to back a snap ballot, even if that means abandoning its own Brexit deal.
The shift came after the dramatic move by the Lib Dems and SNP to use a one-line bill to trigger a 9 December election, provided the government’s withdrawal agreement bill is shelved.
Reports suggests Downing Street officials are now considering picking up the opposition parties’ idea of a one-line bill to bypass the Fixed Term Parliaments Act (FTPA), since it would only require a simple majority.
The government could try to initially push to their own one-line bill for a 10 December or 12 December election from Tuesday if the FTPA route fails today, partly to deny the Lib Dems and SNP the victory of dictating the date of the poll.
Our deputy political editor Rob Merrick has the details.
Boris Johnson reveals ‘plan B’ to force pre-Christmas election even if he loses Commons vote
No 10 explores bringing forward a bill – allowing a poll with a simple majority in Commons – despite dismissing identical Lib Dem-SNP plan as ‘gimmick’EU set to grant three-month delay
The EU is planning to give the UK a Brexit extension until 31 January 2020, with an option to leave earlier if a deal is passed by parliament, according to reports.
Ambassadors for the remaining 27 countries hope to approve the three-month delay when they meet in Brussels at 9am GMT on Monday morning, it is claimed.
A draft agreement, leaked to The Guardian, suggested the 31 January date has been written into a draft document in circulation.
All the details here:
EU ready to grant UK three-month Brexit extension, reports claim
Ambassadors set to approve delay with option to leave earlier if MPs approve dealSwinson says 9 December election plan ‘sensible’ – and allows more students to vote
Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson, who together with the SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford has put forward a tightly-drafted bill that would grant an election on 9 December, said their plan was “a sensible way forward”.
She told the Today programme the proposal had given the EU “confidence that if they offer the extension that they’re discussing today that that will be time well spent”.
Swinson explained: “I’m hopeful that as a result of what we’ve done we will see that extension granted today because otherwise we’re still in the very real risk of crashing out without a deal on Thursday.”
Talking about her bill, she said there are various reasons why December 9 makes more sense than December 12 for an election.
“Clearly, it's three further days away from Christmas and I understand that the public appetite for an election around Christmas is not necessarily high so I think from the point of view of the economy and retailers, keeping it as far away as possible is helpful.
Pointing to one of the party’s motivations, she added: “Many students who live in two places but might only be registered to vote in one place.”
Swinson also told the programme: “Jeremy Corbyn has been missing in action on Brexit. He has let down the millions of people in this country who absolutely passionately want to remain in the EU.
“What waiting would do is risk no-deal, because if we waste this extension and we end up in January with that 31st of January deadline looming, assuming it is granted today, and we haven't done anything with this time, then there’s no guarantee the EU will extend again and then no deal is back on the table.”
Minister urges MPs to back 12 December poll
School standards minister Nick Gibb told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The way to get an election is to vote for the motion that’s on the order paper today.”
He described the move by Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson as a “clear decision” to “disobey” the mandate given in the EU referendum.
Swinson wants Boris Johnson to drop his withdrawal agreement bill in exchange for support passing a bill to bypass the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act (FTPA) and set up a 9 December election.
“They want to revoke Article 50 and keep us in the EU,” Gibb said of the Lib Dems.
He said the government’s plan to hold an election on December 12 means MPs can be given more time to scrutinise the withdrawal agreement bill.
Gavin Williamson doesn’t rule out Lib-Dem-SNP plan
Education secretary Gavin Williamson has been making the case for a general election.
“I would hope it would be the 12th [December],” he told Sky News. “It’s not often you have a situation where the government is saying we need to have a general election and then you have the leader of the opposition saying no. I don’t think that’s sustainable.”
Williamson did not reject the Lib Dem-SNP proposal for a one-line bill vote on a 9 December election, but insisted the government’s Fixed Term Parliaments Act (FTPA) vote today would be the “quickest and easiest” way to get a general election.
He earlier told BBC Breakfast said there would a good chance they could win the vote expected Monday evening – the government needs a “super majority” of 434 MPs – but accepted it was “challenging”.
One Sunday a No 10 official said: “We will look at all options to get Brexit done, including ideas similar to that proposed by other opposition parties.”
Reports suggests Downing Street officials are now considering picking up the opposition parties’ idea of a one-line bill to bypass the FTPA, since it would only require a simple majority.
The government could try to initially push to their own one-line bill for a 10 December or 12 December election from Tuesday if the FTPA route fails today, partly to deny the Lib Dems and SNP the victory of dictating the date of the poll.
BREAKING: EU agrees on Brexit extension until 31 January 2020
EU grants ‘flextension’ as part of three-month delay
Our Europe correspondent Jon Stone has the latest on the EU ambassadors’ decision to grant a Brexit delay until 31 January.
European Council president Donald Tusk described the extension as a “flextension”, so the UK could still leave before February if MPs approve the withdrawal agreement before the deadline is up.
All the details here:
EU agrees Brexit delay until February 2020
'Flextension' could see Britain leave earlier if withdrawal agreement is approved quicklyPeter Mandleson says Labour would be in strong position – if not for Jeremy Corbyn’s ‘poor personal ratings’
Tony Blair’s former close ally Peter Mandleson acknowledged Labour could yet win power with its left-wing manifesto – but only if it dumped the unpopular leader Jeremy Corbyn.
In a pamphlet, the New Labour founder criticised John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, for “simply telling the movement what they want to hear”, rather than offering “new ideas”.
Our deputy political editor has all the details.
Lord Mandelson attacks Labour's left-wing economic plans but admits voters could be won over
Blair’s former ally ridicules 'lots of free offers' but admits they could deliver No 10 – if Corbyn is ditchedHow will Brexiteers react to delay?
So there you have it – we won’t be leaving the EU on Thursday. Expect to hear a lot about Boris Johnson breaking his “do or die” promise to deliver Brexit by 31 October.
The prime minister said he would rather “die in a ditch” than ask for another delay, and he will no doubt attempt to call it parliament’s delay if he does any interviews today.
You may also expect to see a lot of Mark Francois clips today. The Tory MP and leading member of the European Research Group said the country would “explode” if we didn’t leave by Halloween.
And Francois was given a personal assurance by the PM the 31 October deadline would be met “come hell or high water”.
Michel Barnier ‘content’ with EU27 ambassadors’ decision
Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier tells reporters he is “content” with the three-month flextension granted to the UK. Barnier continue working for European Commission during the trade deal negotiations stage of Brexit – so long as our withdrawal can actually be achieved.
People’s Vote staff stage walkout, say reports
Staff at the People’s Vote campaign has staged at walkout over the treatment of leading figures Tom Baldwin and James McGrory.
Baldwin, the head of communications for the campaign has accused the chairman of putting a “wrecking ball” through the campaign amid an apparent power struggle in the group.
Baldwin said Roland Rudd, chairman of the campaign, is “making a mistake that I think a lot of businessmen do when they dabble in politics”.
Asked if he has been sacked by Rudd, Baldwin said there is a “curious situation”, telling BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Roland Rudd has chosen this time to put a wrecking ball really through the campaign.
“It’s not about me, and it’s certainly not about him. I mean the People’s Vote campaign is five different organisations.
“He is non-executive chairman of one, I think the outgoing executive chairman of one. And he’s making a mistake that I think a lot of businessmen do when they dabble in politics, which is to think that because they had a certain title on a board that they then own the campaign.”
Presser further on whether Rudd sacked him, Baldwin said: “He technically controls my contract but he didn’t appoint me. He doesn’t pay me.”
According to several accounts, staff at the campaign’s HQ have walked out of work.
Labour campaigner for referendum condemns Lib Dems
Labour MP Peter Kyle, who last week tabled an amendment to the withdrawal agreement bill proposing a second Brexit referendum, said he had been “thinking a lot” about the Lib Dem-SNP proposal for a 9 December general election.
“Makes me really sad that after so much cross-party effort the first we hear of it was in the Sunday papers,” he tweeted, before explaining why he thinks a Final Say public vote is still needed.
Jo Swinson defends Lib Dem push for general election
It doesn’t look like the idea of a “flextension” – which leaves open the possibility of Brexit happening before 31 January if the withdrawal agreement bill is passed – has unnerved the Lib Dems.
The party’s Brexit spokesman Tom Brake says “action is needed” to stop the risk of no deal at the end of January, suggesting a general election is the way forward.
Leader Jo Swinson, meanwhile, has responded to criticism by Labour’s John McDonnell – who has suggested the Lib Dems’s new strategy means they have abandoned their support for a People’s Vote referendum.
Election would be ‘Christmas present’ for PM, says SNP rebel
Angus MacNeil, the SNP member for the Western Isles, said supporting an early general election would be like a “birthday and a Christmas present rolled into one” for Boris Johnson.
The PM has been pushing for a December 12 election but on Saturday a proposal was put forward by the SNP and Liberal Democrats to hold one three days earlier on December 9.
Rebelling against his party’s strategy, he warned against MPs voting for a poll on either date.
Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme, MacNeil said: “I’m kind of perplexed as to what it’s about.
“I mean, obviously, the SNP has nothing to fear in an election at the moment, certainly wouldn’t have anything to fear in six months’ time in Scotland, but the thing we've got to fear is we have Boris Johnson in place for five years with a big majority.
“I mean, if I was to say to you you’re getting a million pounds next Monday but you won’t get it next Thursday, would you accept your million pounds on Monday or Thursday? I think you're going to take your million pounds on Monday.”
Party leader Nicola Sturgeon said forcing Johnson to fight an election now would mean he would have to explain his failure to deliver Brexit “do or die”.
Scotland’s first minister said that while she still “strongly supported” a second Brexit referendum, there was no evidence a majority of MPs could be persuaded to back this course of action.
Nearly half of public think Boris Johnson lying about protecting NHS
Almost half of people think Boris Johnson is failing to tell the truth when it comes to protecting the NHS in a trade deal with the US, according to a new survey.
Pollsters Survation found that 45 per cent did not believe the PM was being honest when he assured the public that the NHS was “not on the table” if and when UK and US negotiators sit down to thrash out a post-Brexit trade deal.
More details here:
Nearly half of UK think Boris Johnson is lying about protecting NHS from Trump trade deal
Vast majority say publicly-funded health service should be ‘off the table’ after BrexitEU parliament’s Brexit chief ‘relieved no one died in a ditch’
Guy Verhofstadt, the EU parliament’s Brexit coordinator, with some top-notch trolling here – a reference to Boris Johnson’s pledge that he would rather “die in a ditch” than ask for another extension.
Brexit Party chairman wants to ‘help’ Tories deliver Brexit
No word from Nigel Farage yet on the Brexit extension. The Brexit Party’s chairman was relatively restrained when he appeared on Sky News this morning.
Asked what he thought of Brexit being delayed past the “do or die” 31 October deadline, Tice said: “Anybody who is paying any attention realised that a couple of week ago – Brexit is not happening on October 31 st.”
“The Conservatives have tried and tried and tried – they cannot deliver Brexit on their own in this parliament – they need help. We in the Brexit Party are there to give them that help with an election that will hopefully happen before Christmas.”
Boris Johnson yet to see EU’s extension statement
Downing Street said that, due to other engagements, Boris Johnson had not read the European Council’s letter by noon on Monday and was unable to offer an immediate response, writes political editor Andrew Woodcock.
The prime minister’s official spokesman said: “His view has not changed Parliament should not have put the UK in this position, and we should be leaving on 31 October.
“The PM secured a great new deal, despite being told this was impossible. Parliament has chosen more dither and more delay.
“Parliament has been blocking Brexit for three years and it's clear we have to bring in a new parliament so we can move on.”
Asked whether the government would back the Liberal Democrat/SNP proposal for a one-line bill to deliver a 9 December election, the spokesman said the government was “currently” focused on its own motion for a 12 December election under the terms of the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act, which the Commons will vote on today.”
“The prime minister will be making the case as to why we need an election to break the deadlock, and it’s obviously for MPs of all parties to decide how they wish to vote,” he said.
Asked whether Mr Johnson would resign or apologise for failing to deliver on his often-repeated “do or die” pledge to take the UK out of the EU by 31 October, the spokesman said: “What the PM is going to do is get on with delivering Brexit, which the British people voted for, while also ensuring that we address the domestic priorities of the country - the NHS, dealing with serious violent criminals, levelling up so everyone can make the most of the talents which they have.”
Business preparations for no-deal Halloween Brexit 'job of responsible government'
The PM’s spokesman was asked whether the government had any message for the thousands of companies which spent money in response to official advice to prepare for a no-deal Halloween Brexit which will now not take place.
He responded: “It is the job of a responsible government to prepare business and other organisations for all possibilities. The work we carried out on no-deal was necessary and has ensured that business was given all the information which it needed.”
The spokesman was unable to say what proportion of the £100 million of the budget for advertising the government’s no-deal preparations had been spent.
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