Boris Johnson is expected to give a Commons statement on his Brexit proposals in what could be the last chance MPs get to challenge the prime minister for three weeks.
Downing Street sources have told lobby journalists that Johnson will give the statement after a meeting of cabinet on Thursday morning despite earlier suggestions he would not.
The government had initially said the Brexit secretary, Stephen Barclay, would update the Commons on the plans, prompting fears that Johnson was once again trying to duck parliamentary scrutiny after a new date was set for the Queen’s speech.
Last night the government confirmed it planned to prorogue parliament next Tuesday and hold a Queen’s speech on 14 October. The timing means prime minister’s questions are likely to be cancelled for the next two weeks; the next PMQs would not then be due until 23 October, after the crucial European council summit on 17 October.
On Wednesday night Labour’s Hilary Benn, the chair of the Brexit select committee, had urged Johnson to make a statement to the Commons.
The Prime Minister must make a statement to the House of Commons tomorrow on his Brexit proposals.
— Hilary Benn (@hilarybennmp) October 2, 2019
Johnson has said he wants to get a deal in place for the EU summit so the UK can leave with an agreement in time to meet the 31 October Brexit deadline. So far European leaders have reacted with dismay to his plan to resolve the issue of the Irish backstop, which Johnson set out in a letter to the European commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, on Wednesday.
In a phone call, Juncker told the prime minister that there remained “problematic points”.
Counties and customs
Inside the EU, both Ireland and Northern Ireland are part of the single market and customs union so share the same regulations and standards, allowing a soft or invisible border between the two.
Britain’s exit from the EU – taking Northern Ireland with it – risks a return to a hard or policed border. The only way to avoid this post-Brexit is for regulations on both sides to remain more or less the same in key areas including food, animal welfare, medicines and product safety.
The 'backstop' in Theresa May's Withdrawal Agreement was intended to address this - stating that if no future trade agreement could be reached between the EU and the UK, then rules and regulations would stay as they are. This has been rejected by Brexit supporters as a 'trap' to keep the UK in the EU's customs union, which would prevent the UK striking its own independent trade deals.
There are an estimated 72m road vehicle crossings a year between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and about 14% of those crossings are consignments of goods, some of which may cross the border several times before they reach a consumer. Brexit supporters say this can be managed by doing checks on goods away from the border, but critics say it will be difficult to police this without any physical infrastructure like border posts of cameras, which could raise tensions in the divided communities of Ireland.
Interactive: A typical hour in the life of the Irish border
Meanwhile, Barclay has hinted that the government could look to one of the EU27 to veto extending the Brexit deadline if the government is forced to seek an extension under Benn act.
Asked by ITV’s Good Morning Britain how an extension could be avoided if no new deal was agreed, Barclay said: “There’s a number of scenarios but one is [that] it requires the consent of all EU27 member states.”
Asked if he was suggesting that a member state could be persuaded to veto any extension, Barclay said: “What we’re focused on is getting a deal. I think most people recognise a deal is the best way forward. What the EU themselves have said is they see that these are serious proposals. This is a way of the UK getting Brexit done leaving on 31 October, enabling parliament and the country to move forward with certainty.”
Speaking on Sky News, Barclay ruled out even a short extension. He said: “We don’t want an extension and we do believe there is enough time. I think your viewers would accept that one thing parliament hasn’t been short of is time over the last three years debating Brexit. Many of these issues have been debated time and time again in parliament. So let’s get Brexit done.”
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