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Brexit: Boris Johnson ‘very confident’ Parliament will back his Brexit deal on Saturday after Juncker rejects extension
BORIS Johnson tonight said he was "very confident" MPs would back his deal in Parliament on Saturday as Jean Claude Juncker ruled out ANY further delays.
The jubilant PM sealed a "great" new deal with Brussels this morning but now faces a tense Commons showdown in 36 hours as the DUP are refusing to back him.
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The upbeat PM said after the EU signed off the deal: "I am very confident that when MPs of all parties look at this deal they will see the merit of supporting it - getting Brexit done on October 31."
BoJo said MPs should honour the mandate of the British people to get out of the EU after three years of dither and delay - and vowed that Britain would come out "as one" country.
There is "no case for delay", he insisted. "Now is the time to come together, get this thing done.
"The imperative is very, very strong, the opportunity is great. So let’s do it!"
It came as...
- EU leaders rubber-stamped the deal tonight - as all eyes turned to the House of Commons ahead of Saturday's crunch vote
- The pound soared against the dollar after the news that a deal has been agreed
- MPs voted in the Commons to hold a historic Saturday session - the first since the Falklands war
- Tories urged MPs to get behind the Prime Minister and vote for the deal as Westminster gears up for a fourth Commons showdown
- Jeremy Corbyn could force his MPs to back a second referendum
A senior Government source confirmed this afternoon the PM would tell MPs to vote for the new deal or face a No Deal on October 31 - and they would not have the option of another delay.
European Commission boss Jean Claude Juncker ruled out any extension of Brexit this afternoon - meaning MPs now face a stark choice on Super Saturday if they want to avoid leaving with nothing at all.
"There will be no prolongation," the European Commission President said.
However, just hours later his fellow EU leader Donald Tusk opened the door to one, saying: "If there is a request for an extension, I will contact member states to see how to react."
And Denmark's PM poured cold water on the extension ban too, saying: "Denmark is ready accept another Brexit delay if the new Brexit deal does not get through the House of Commons."
DONE DEAL
The PM will need the backing of Tory hard-line Eurosceptics, independent MPs and Labour Brexiteers to get the votes he needs if he cannot win over the DUP.
Boris needs half of the Commons - 320 MPs - to back his deal.
But if it's voted down then he will still have to ask the EU for an extension on Saturday night.
The EU, however, don't have to give Britain one - and could say the time has come for Britain to leave.
If he gets his deal approved on Saturday - at the first time of asking - Boris will achieve something that former PM Theresa May tried and failed to do three times.
We’ve got a great new deal that takes back control — now Parliament should get Brexit done on Saturday
Boris Johnson
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Announcing the breakthrough this morning, Mr Johnson said: "We’ve got a great new deal that takes back control - now Parliament should get Brexit done on Saturday so we can move on to other priorities like the cost of living, the NHS, violent crime and our environment."
The PM appeared pleased this afternoon as he vowed it would allow "every part of the UK" to leave the EU with a "real Brexit";.
"It means we can take together, as a single United Kingdom, decisions about our future, our laws, our borders and our money - on how we want to run the UK," he said.
"Now is the moment for us to get Brexit done and then together to work on building our future partnership."
The PM said "yes" he did think he could get it through Parliament when it comes to Westminster for a bumper Commons session on Saturday, because it was "common sense".
Labour boss Jeremy Corbyn has slammed the deal as being "worse than Theresa May's" agreement and said his party will vote against it.
The SNP have also confirmed they will not be supporting the agreement too.
Brexit boss Nigel Farage said the treaty was "dreadful" and he would rather have another extension instead.
He's called on the PM to go for No Deal rather than leave with an agreement, which he doesn't think will get through the Commons.
He told Sky News this morning: "There's the possibility of putting together a leave alliance ahead of the next general election.
"That would win a big majority in Parliament."
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DUP BLAST
The PM faces a huge headache over how to win over Eurosceptics without the support of the DUP, who have said they won't back it.
Nigel Dodds raged tonight: "The Benn Act has forced Boris Johnson into somewhat of desperation measures in order to avoid trying to get an extension.
“He has been too eager by far to get a deal at any cost, and the fact of the matter is, if he held his nerve and held out he would, of course, have got better concessions that kept the integrity, both economic and constitutionally, of the United Kingdom.”
The DUP also predicted Saturday's vote would fail without the support.
The party added: "These proposals are not, in our view, beneficial to the economic well-being of Northern Ireland and they undermine the integrity of the Union."
Ms Foster and Mr Dodds trooped in and out of No10 twice several times to turn down offers.
To protect the province from splitting too far from the UK, the DUP - whose 10 MPs are propping up Boris’s minority Tory government - signalled it is prepared to hold up any deal deep into 2020.
EU CAN COME BACK
But EU leaders still seemed to think that Brexit wasn't a done deal tonight, as they hinted Britain could come BACK into the EU.
Donald Tusk said at a joint press conference tonight: "In my heart I will always be a Remainer. I hope our British friends decide to return one day.
"Our door will always be open."
He hailed the Irish PM and Boris Johnson for sealing off a deal - but insisted that Britain had caved in on Northern Ireland border checks to do it.
And the Irish PM added: "It's a little bit like an old friend going off on a journey, or an adventure.
"We really hopes it works out for them. But there will always be a place for the UK at the table, if they choose to come back."
What happens next in Boris Johnson's battle for Brexit?
TODAY
- Boris attends EU summit
- European leaders will be presented with the proposed deal and be asked to rubber stamp it
- A vote on whether to sit on Saturday in an emergency session will take place
TOMORROW
- The PM will remain at the Council to discuss other issues with EU leaders
- Back home his top team will be launching a huge operation to win over sceptical Tories, and try and get some Labour MPs on side
SATURDAY
- The Commons showdown is set to take place between 9.30am and 2.30pm
- Boris Johnson will address the Commons and lay out his deal - taking questions from across the House
- If it passes, Britain will be on track to leave the EU on October 31
- If it does not pass, then under the Benn Act Boris Johnson will be forced to ask the EU for another delay to Brexit
WHAT IF IT PASSES?
- If it passes there are a whole host of other Bills that must be signed off too - such as on trade, agriculture and food
- MPs will have to vote on those in the next two weeks to get everything sorted in time
WHAT IF IT FAILS?
- Boris is legally obliged to go cap in hand to the EU and ask them for another extension
- If Boris' deal fails he could try and go for a No Deal Brexit, but he will likely need an election to deliver that as MPs won't support it
- Or the PM could try yet again for more tweaks to the deal, but this is unlikely to work
- If it gets thrown out then it's up to the EU27 leaders to decide whether they want to give the PM another extension - they could say 'no thanks, you're leaving no matter what'
- Today Jean Claude Juncker has said that there will be no more extensions
- But the EU have repeatedly said it would be the UK's choice if it wants to go for a No Deal Brexit
- If an extension was requested and agreed, it's likely that a special EU summit would be needed to sign it off in the coming days
- All the member states have to unanimously agree for it to get the green light
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SATURDAY SHOWDOWN
A huge 48-hour intense whipping operation will now begin to get as many people on side as possible to ensure that it goes through.
Tories reacted with joy to the news that Boris has managed to secure a new agreement with the bloc.
Chair of the Conservative Party, James Cleverly tweeted: "Those MPs who said that they respected the referendum result, but just wanted to avoid a "no deal Brexit" now have a deal to vote for.
"They should be pleased. Let's see what they do."
Addressing MPs in the Commons, Brexiteer Tory Jacob Rees-Mogg said: "I am pleased to say that this is a really fantastic and exciting deal."
"It removes the undemocratic backstop, it is a huge advance for the whole of the United Kingdom, it will ensure that we are one single customs territory."
Chancellor Sajid Javid, who is in Washington for IMF meetings, is calling MPs back in Britain to urge them to back the deal.
He said this afternoon: "I always believed a new deal could be done. The PM has proved many doubters wrong.
"I urge all MPs to back the new deal. Whatever your politics, getting Brexit done is clearly what’s best for our democracy and our economy."
What's in Boris' new deal?
REPLACING THE BACKSTOP
- The hated Northern Ireland backstop been replaced by a four-point plan relating to: customs, regulations, VAT and the consent of the Northern Ireland Assembly – known as Stormont.
- Northern Ireland will leave the customs union with the rest of the UK - and can benefit from fre trade deals
- In practice the border will be between the UK and the island of Ireland – with goods being checked at “points of entry” in Northern Ireland.
REGULATION
- Products entering Northern Ireland from EU countries – known as the single market – will be subject to tariffs.
- But this only applies if they are not set to go across the border.
EU RULES
- All references to the Level Playing Field - staying close to EU rules - have been stripped out of the Withdrawal Agreement.
- In the Political Declaration, which is not legally binding, the UK and EU endeavour to draw up a new mechanism as part of an FTA "commensurate with the scope and depth of the future relationship".
- But we will have to stay in line with EU conventions on "state aid, competition, social and employment standards, environment, climate change, and relevant tax matters" if we are to do a future trade deal.
- But as this isn't legally binding, it could be changed later.
CONSENT
- In the new plans the Stormont Assembly members will not be able to vote on continuing the Brexit arrangements until four years after they come into effect in 2021.
- The vote will be a head count, with a majority keeping the arrangements in place for another four years.
- If the proposals get consent from both unionists and nationalists then they will be kept in place for another eight years.
TRADE DEALS
- Under the new agreement the UK, and Northern Ireland, will be free to sign its own trade deals.
- London and Brussels are aiming for a zero-tariff deal with unlimited quotas in the future.
EU BILLS
- Under the new treaty the UK will have to pay its financial obligations to the EU.
- There is currently no exact figure on how much the divorce bill will be.
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