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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Politics
Oliver Milne

Tory leadership hopefuls reveal their Brexit plans - and when we should leave

The five final candidates to be Britain's next PM were quizzed on how they would solve Brexit during a BBC live debate.

Unsurprisingly they weren't necessarily the clearest positions - and they did spend a lot of time talking over each other.

But this is what we learned about how they plan to get Britain out of the EU.

Frontrunner Boris Johnson who is making only his second public appearance to answer questions in this campaign said "we must come out" of the European Union on October 31 as he appeared on the BBC's debate.

"Otherwise, I'm afraid, we face a catastrophic loss of confidence in politics," he warned.

"We have already kicked the can down the road twice and I think the British people are getting thoroughly fed up."

Mr Johnson added: "Unless we get out on October 31, I think that we will all start to pay a really serious price."

Wildcard Rory Stewart said that politicians owe the public a "real sense of urgency".

He said they needed to be honest that there wasn't time to "negotiate a new deal by October 31".

And he said any deal needed to get through parliament arguing that he would urge MPs to take the "shock of the European elections" and vote for Theresa May's deal.

Both Jeremy Hunt and Michael Gove said a delay beyond October 31 may be necessary if a deal was within reach.

Foreign Secretary Mr Hunt said he would walk away without a deal if there was no prospect of agreement by October 31.

But "if we were nearly there, then I would take a bit longer".

Mr Gove said he would be prepared to allow "extra time" if a deal was close.

He said he was "upset" and "angry" that Brexit had not yet happened.

"Because I started this, I will finish it," the prominent Brexit-backer said.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid said it was "fundamental" to get out of the EU by October 31 and honour the result of the referendum.

On the BBC debate, he said: "We have failed to act on those instructions and it is fundamental that it has to be by October 31."

He told Mr Gove and Mr Hunt: "We have got to learn from our mistakes. One of the mistakes we have made so far is by having this flexible deadline.

"If you don't have a deadline, you don't concentrate minds, and that also includes the minds of our European friends."

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