LONDON _ Boris Johnson said every Conservative candidate has signed a pledge to vote for his Brexit deal if elected, meaning he would be able to get it through Parliament swiftly if he gets a majority at the Dec. 12 election.
"All 635 Conservative candidates standing at this election _ every single one of them _ has pledged to me that if elected they will vote in Parliament to pass my Brexit deal," the prime minister told the Sunday Telegraph in an interview. "I am offering a pact with the people: If you vote Conservative you can be 100% sure a majority Conservative government will unblock Parliament and get Brexit done."
Britain's departure from the European Union, now eight months past the original target date, has been held up partly because of divisions within the Conservative Party about how best to do it. Johnson was a leading figure in that battle, which eventually saw him replace Theresa May. His imposition of discipline on his party now both enables him to promise a resolution to voters and could help him avoid her fate.
What's not covered by the pledge is how Conservatives will vote on subsequent issues in the Brexit process. Johnson is currently pledging that the Brexit transition period, in which he aims to negotiate a free trade agreement with the EU, will end in December 2020. If that proves ambitious _ most deals take years to negotiate _ he'll need members of parliament to agree to a delay. If he wants a close relationship with the EU, it could be harder to get Tory support.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, questioned about the plan for a trade agreement, admitted that it will necessarily be a compromise. But he said there's an opportunity to reach a "win-win" that is "great for the U.K., but also good for our European friends." Asked if the U.K. could leave the EU without a deal, Raab said, "no, it's not what we want to do." He clarified: "I don't think it's remotely likely."
Opinion polls in the Sunday newspapers all put Johnson's Conservatives well ahead of the opposition Labour Party. Though individual district polls showed the anti-Brexit Liberal Democrats surging in three London seats, the main picture was of Johnson ahead.
In a BBC interview, Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn refused repeatedly to say whether he'd campaign to leave the EU or not during the referendum he proposes for next year. He also declined to say what his party proposes as an immigration policy, though he made it clear he's not a fan of strict controls. "There will be a great deal of movement," he said. Corbyn's equivocation provides room for the Conservatives to tell people what they think he'd do.
Labour on Saturday signed off its policy platform for the election. It won't be unveiled until Thursday, but according to the Mail on Sunday, policies include:
A "Right to Food Act" introducing price controlsA windfall tax on oil companiesAn expansion of the sugar taxDropping a plan to allow private tenants to buy their homesCarolyn Fairbairn, director-general of the Confederation of British Industry, said Labour's plans for business "will freeze investment." She cited the party's "bolt from the blue" announcement that it would take parts of the country's broadband infrastructure into public ownership. "I have talked to businesses who are already sitting there thinking maybe we're next," she told Sky News.
She also urged the Conservatives not to box themselves in with promises on Brexit and immigration that they'll struggle to meet.
