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Last month, U.K. prime minister Boris Johnson said he would rather be “dead in a ditch” than ask Brussels for another extension of the October 31 Brexit deadline, as the so-called Benn Act required him to do if Parliament hadn’t approved either a withdrawal agreement or a no-deal Brexit by October 19. Johnson also said that the deadline was “do or die.” Today, his enemies were delighted at news that these pithy proclamations seem to have backfired: Once again, we’re back to Brexit Mañana!
On Monday, the European Union granted the U.K. a “flextension,” pushing back the Brexit deadline to January 31, with the caveat that Britain can leave earlier if Parliament ratifies a withdrawal agreement before December 31. The request was made by the U.K.’s ambassador to Brussels on behalf of the House of Commons, meaning Johnson may have violated the law in keeping his word: The Benn Act required that he request the delay himself.
In an effort to maintain public trust ahead of these latest developments, Johnson made it clear that he disagreed with the approach that brought them about. First, he refused to sign the letter requesting an extension that he’d been forced to send to the EU. Second, he sent an additional, signed letter that contradicted the first letter. Johnson is not the only one who feels frustrated by Parliament’s continual indecision, of course. Even French president Emmanuel Macron opposed a delay, and only changed his mind in the hope that granting one might lead to a general election and thus break the impasse. According to reports, France is expected to push for an absolute deadline should Brexit be delayed beyond January 31, even if that means putting a no-deal Brexit back on the table.
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See Also:
(1) EU grants Brexit delay to Jan. 31; UK ponders new election
(2) PM Boris: Brexit Delay Is Parliament’s Fault, Not Mine
(3) Bercow smirks as he makes sly dig at Boris Johnson ahead of crunch general election vote
(4) Labour in tatters: Panicked MP admits party vetoed election bid amid fears they would lose
(5) Brexit humiliation: Ronald Reagan would have been ‘appalled’ by delay, says former aide
