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Boris Johnson will plead with Members of Parliament to back his Brexit deal in what promises to be a day of high tension in the House of Commons in London. The prime minister must win the approval of lawmakers today or he will have to seek a further delay from the European Union.
But support appeared to be growing for an amendment to the government’s motion by former Tory minister Oliver Letwin that would force Johnson to request an extension whatever the outcome of Saturday ’s vote. Letwin and former Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond say it would be an insurance against crashing out without an agreement on Oct. 31, the government dismissed it as more “dither” and delay.
Key Developments
Boris Johnson due to address Parliament at 9:30 a.m.Parliament Votes on Boris Johnson’s Brexit Deal: Your GuideOrder! Order! A Minute-by-Minute Guide to U.K. Parliament Votes
DUP’s Wilson Appeals to the ERG (9:15 a.m.)
The Democratic Unionist Party’s Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson also spoke to the European Research Group of hard-line Brexiteers at their meeting on Saturday morning (see 9 a.m.).
He spoke after the group’s chairman Steve Baker had recommended that members should back Johnson’s deal and urged them to oppose it. The DUP is against the agreement because it imposes different rules on Northern Ireland from the rest of the U.K.
ERG Deputy Chairman Mark Francois said after the meeting that no one in the room had said they would vote against the agreement, but members leaving the committee room refused to comment to reporters. “The ERG is not a Stalinist organisation so it will be up to everyone how they vote,” Francois said.
Brexit ‘Spartans’ Pulling Behind Johnson (9 a.m.)
Johnson has got the big scalp: Steve Baker, chairman of the pro-Brexit European Research Group and a key figure in the so-called “Spartans,” who refused to back May’s Brexit deal, has recommended that colleagues should support Johnson’s deal.
Before the last big Brexit vote, Baker made an emotional speech to the group about his frustration with the process. If he’s on board, Johnson might hope to get all the Spartans.
Tory MP Nigel Evans said that Baker had recommended at a meeting of the group on Saturday that they should back the plan.
Johnson Gains Support as MPs Gather (8:45 a.m.)
The vote is looking very close. By Bloomberg’s count, Johnson has 42 of the 61 MPs backing him that he needs, and there could easily be 20 more undeclared supporters out there.
But a couple of former Tories are refusing to say. Both former Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond and Antoinette Sandbach have refused to say what they’ll do. Hammond said he is open to backing the deal, but he is also backing the Letwin amendment.
In Westminster there’s an idea around that if the Letwin amendment passes, the government might pull the final vote. But there’s no procedure to allow it to do that.
Barclay Warns Over Dither and Delay (8:30 a.m.)
Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay said Oliver Letwin’s proposed amendment would cause “further delay, further dither and further uncertainty,” causing more damage to British business.
He warned that any request to extend the Oct. 31 deadline could be vetoed by another EU member. “It is not Oliver Letwin’s decision how long an extension will be, anymore than it is the U.K. Parliament’s decision,” he said.
Duncan Smith: Letwin Should ‘Stow’ His Plan (Earlier)
Former Tory leader and lead Brexiteer Iain Duncan Smith didn’t attempt to conceal his anger over Olive Letwin’s amendment, which would force Johnson to request a delay from the EU on Saturday as insurance against the U.K. accidentally crashing out without a deal on Oct. 31.
“This vote has to be clear to our partners in Europe that we’re now on a track to leave under this deal,” Duncan Smith told the BBC, warning that the amendment would extend uncertainty. “I wish Oliver Letwin would just stow this now.”
Dodds Says DUP May Back Insurance Amendment (Earlier)
Nigel Dodds, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party’s 10 MPs in Westminster, said the party will examine the Letwin amendment and decide whether to back it later on Saturday.
“It’s a very interesting amendment,” Dodds told BBC Radio. “It does have the merit of pointing out that this would withhold the approval of the Commons from the government’s plan.”
He said the party, which will vote against Johnson’s deal, hasn’t yet made a final decision on the Letwin amendment
Earlier:
Brexit Decision Day Arrives as U.K. Parliament Votes on DealBoris Johnson Might Not Even Get His Brexit Vote on Saturday
To contact the reporters on this story: Robert Hutton in London at [email protected];Kitty Donaldson in London at [email protected];Greg Ritchie in London at [email protected]
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at [email protected], Thomas Penny
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