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The Independent UK

Politics

Peter Stubley, Eleanor Busby

Boris Johnson news: PM 'behaving like a spoilt brat' after deal derailed as Micheal Gove insists UK will leave EU on 31 October

Boris Johnson was accused of “behaving like a spoilt brat” after he sent an unsigned letter to the EU asking for an extension to Brexit.

The prime minister, having promised that he would never make such a request, was forced to do so after MPs voted to withhold approval for his withdrawal agreement.

Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell said Mr Johnson “has to abide by the law” and may be in contempt of parliament, adding: ”He’s behaving a bit like a spoilt brat.”

However Michael Gove, the government minister in charge of Brexit preparations, insisted that the UK would still leave the EU on 31 October.

“We are going to leave by October 31,” he told Sky News. ”We have the means and the ability to do so and yesterday... we had some people who voted for delay, voted explicitly to try to frustrate this process and to drag it out.”

The government is planning to hold a “meaningful vote” on Mr Johnson’s deal on Monday but opposition MPs are seeking amendments to protect against a no-deal Brexit and hold a second referendum.

Supporters of a Final Say referendum are being urged to sign a letter which calls on officials in the UK and the EU to do everything they can to give the people a vote on the final Brexit deal.

Follow events as they happened in our liveblog below:

2019-10-20T07:46:54.690Z

Good morning and welcome to The Independent's live coverage of the latest developments in the Brexit saga as we approach the 31 October "deadline".

2019-10-20T07:54:04.276Z

It's the morning after Super Saturday and Boris Johnson has sent not one but two letters to the EU following his defeat in the House of Commons on the Letwin amendment.

One was an unsigned message relaying parliament’s request for an extension to Brexit and the other was a letter from him setting out why he does not believe delay would be in the interests of the EU or UK.

Downing Street said it believes the move fulfils the requirements of the Benn Act, which required the prime minister to seek an extension beyond his 31 October deadline if he was unable to secure parliamentary approval of his Brexit deal by the end of Saturday.

But Scottish National Party MP Joanna Cherry dismissed the PM’s gambit as “pathetic” and said she would be pushing for legal action in Scotland’s highest court on Monday.

Boris Johnson sends EU unsigned letter seeking Brexit delay

Prime minister's gambit is denounced as 'pathetic' by MP who vows to bring legal action within days

2019-10-20T07:55:41.450Z

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell accused the Prime Minister of "behaving a bit like a spoilt brat" over Brexit.

Speaking on Sky News's Sophy Ridge on Sunday he said: "He may well be in contempt of Parliament or the courts themselves because he's clearly trying to undermine the first letter and not signing the letter.

"He's behaving a bit like a spoilt brat. Parliament made a decision, he should abide by it and this idea that you send another letter contradicting the first, I think it flies in the face of what both Parliament and the courts have decided."

Boris Johnson’s letters to Brussels 'may be in contempt of parliament', Labour's John McDonnell says

Prime minister faces possible legal action over his two letters to the EU - one relaying request to extend Brexit process and the other advising against it

2019-10-20T07:57:24.210Z

Asked if Labour could back the Brexit deal, Mr McDonnell said: "When the Bill comes forward, what we'll try to do, as in the normal way, put amendments to that Bill and see whether or not we can ensure that it meets the criteria that we've set out.

"The problem that we've got is this has become quite a fundamental choice about the future of our economy. Do we want to go down the Boris Johnson proposals of diverging from our major trading partner and deregulating our economy, undermining workers' rights, consumer and environment rights? No we don't.

"So what we'll try and do is, of course, try and amend that legislation and see if we can get agreement in Parliament."

2019-10-20T08:02:42.636Z

Lawyers and legal commentators have been debating whether or not Boris Johnson's two letters ploy is in breach of the Benn Act - which compelled the prime minister to request a delay to Brexit beyond 31 October.

Here David Allen Green suggests there is no need to go to court. Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, has confirmed receipt of the request and it is now up to the EU member states to decide whether to grant an extension or not.

2019-10-20T08:05:29.993Z

However Lib Dem Brexit spokesperson Tom Brake MP suggests the prime minister will be hauled back to court on Monday.

2019-10-20T08:07:57.696Z

Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage says he is in favour of a short delay to Brexit to hold a general election, describing Boris Johnson's deal as "rotten".

"I want to leave on the 31 of October, but I'll warn everybody that if this treaty goes through nothing will have changed at all, and I think far better to have a short delay and a general election where we might solve this," he told Sky News.

"I want a general election, so an extension for a few weeks into which we can have a general election is a much better outcome than signing up to a treaty that becomes part of international law that binds us in foreign policy and in many, many other areas.

"We are going to have to be on a level playing field with the rest of Europe which means we still haven't taken back control of our laws - this is not Brexit.

"Its a new EU treaty, it binds us. All it does is take us on to the next stage of negotiations."

2019-10-20T08:11:43.853Z

Former home secretary Amber Rudd, who voted for the Oliver Letwin amendment forcing the prime minister to seek an extension, has said she will support Mr Johnson's deal in the Commons.

Ms Rudd admits it is "not as good as Theresa May's deal" and will damage the UK's economy, reducing the GDP by between four and six per cent.

She describes it as a "compromise" - because it's better than no-deal.

"We have to make sure that we don't leave with no deal," Ms Rudd tells Sky News. "I want to support it and I will and I think, not all of us, but most of us former Conservatives, who supported the Letwin amendment will do so as well.

"I think it's absolutely right to say we don't want to leave with no deal but we do want to leave with a deal and this deal from the Prime Minister is good enough for me."

Glimmer of hope for Boris Johnson's Brexit deal as ex-cabinet minister Amber Rudd says she will back it

The IndependentFormer home secretary says most expelled Tories will back PM's agreement and she believes it will pass

2019-10-20T08:31:35.060Z

Yesterday also saw an estimated one million people march on parliament calling for a Final Say referendum on any Brexit deal.

Now supporters of a public vote are being urged to sign a letter which will be delivered simultaneously to Downing Street and the Houses of Parliament, as well as the European parliament and the European Council, before 31 October.

More than 130,000 people have already signed in just over 24 hours.

More than 100,000 sign letter demanding Final Say on Brexit in less than 24 hours

'Today, we're marching together to say we trust the people, not Boris Johnson, to solve this Brexit crisis', Kier Starmer says

2019-10-20T08:38:21.183Z

Sir Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, has also piled in on Boris Johnson, accusing him of being "childlike".

He told the BBC's Andrew Marr show: "The law is very clear. He should have signed one letter in accordance with the law.

"If we crash out because of what he has done with the letters... without a deal, he bears personal responsibility for that."

2019-10-20T08:45:19.346Z

The shadow Brexit secretary has also confirmed Labour will back an amendment calling for a referendum on Boris Johnson's withdrawal agreement.

It is expected to be brought in the Commons next week.

The so-called "meaningful vote" on the prime ministers Brexit deal, which was meant to happen on Saturday, is due to be held on Monday.

Speaker John Bercow said he would rule on Monday whether it was in order for the government to hold the vote.

2019-10-20T08:47:19.123Z

'We are going to leave on 31 October' - Michael Gove

Michael Gove, one of the architects of Brexit, has insisted the UK will leave the EU on 31 October, saying it is the government's "determined policy".

"We are going to leave on October 31st, we have the means and ability to do so," he told Sky News.

"People are trying to frustrate this process and drag it out. I think the mood in the country is clear. We must leave on October 31st."

He says that if parliament passes all the Brexit legislation then the letter to the EU requesting an extension can be withdrawn.

However he claims that the Letwin amendment has actually increased the risk of a no-deal Brexit.

"We cannot guarantee the EU will grant an extension," he says, adding that the government is preparing to trigger Operation Yellowhammer.

2019-10-20T09:01:20.883Z

Foreign secretary Dominic Raab also believes the Government can get Boris Johnson's Brexit deal through Parliament before the deadline.

He told The Andrew Marr Show: "We seem to have the numbers in the House of Commons. A lot of people say 'get this done and move on'."

2019-10-20T09:07:09.150Z

Is this allowed? Michael Gove reveals he has a financial interest in the UK leaving the EU on 31 October.

He tells Sky News he has a bet with health secretary Matt Hancock. He thinks it will happen, while Mr Hancock apparently believes Brexit will be delayed.

2019-10-20T09:09:52.260Z

It now appears the bet is about the size of the majority for the deal - not whether Brexit will happen.

2019-10-20T09:16:58.930Z

The full exchange between Sophy Ridge and Michael Gove went like this:

Gove: We are going to get this deal done and I am confident with the support of good people we will get this deal done.

Ridge: If you are a betting man would you put money on it?

Gove: Yes I have

Ridge: How much?

Gove: That's between me and the health secretary.

It came after Mr Gove refused to say whether Boris Johnson should resign if he does not get backing for his deal.

2019-10-20T09:19:17.273Z

Oliver Letwin, whose amendment forced the prime minister to request an extension to Brexit, has said he believes the deal will "probably" be passed by parliament.

He told the BBC: "I am absolutely behind the government now as long as they continue with this bill, continue with the deal, I will support it, I will vote for it.

"There will be no more Oliver Letwin amendments next week because there don't need to be, I am supporting the bill."

Asked if the government could get the deal across the line, he added: "I think we probably will."

2019-10-20T09:28:30.990Z

Here's a reminder that six weeks ago Boris Johnson promised he would not ask the EU for an extension to the Brexit deadline, saying he would rather be "dead in a ditch".

Yesterday the prime minister requested an extension.

Boris Johnson claims he would ‘rather be dead in a ditch’ than negotiate Brexit extension

Prime Minister speaking after his own brother walked out of government in protest at his position on EU

2019-10-20T09:31:46.426Z

While the EU has not yet responded to the letter making the request for an extension, a German minister has suggested the the deadline could be pushed back "a few weeks".

Peter Altmaier, a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's party, told Bild that "a good and orderly solution is still possible if Boris Johnson now reaches out to Parliament and seeks a cross-party solution."

"If an extension by a few weeks is necessary, I wouldn't have a problem with it," he added.

2019-10-20T09:51:38.480Z

Shadow cabinet minister Sir Keir Starmer has said Labour will whip its MPs to back a second referendum on Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal