Mcb777 LiveBrexit: Labour set to back Boris Johnson's call for Christmas election if EU grant 3-month delay | The Sun - Machibet Live

LABOUR is set to back Boris Johnson's demand for a snap election if EU chiefs give us a three-month Brexit delay.

After MPs backed the PM's deal last night but threw out his speedy timetable, leaving next week’s October 31 Brexit deadline in disarray, the PM immediately hit the phones to Europe’s leaders.

Boris Johnson has told EU leaders that he will force a snap general election if the Brexit delay drags onCredit: PA:Press Association

Boris leaving No10 today for PMQsCredit: AFP

He immediately announced he will put the Withdrawal Agreement Bill on hold while the EU decides how to answer Parliament’s plea for an extension.

Brussels bosses began considering the length of the new delay — which Parliament asked to run until January 31.

But Boris has said he will go for an early poll again if he's forced into a long delay.

All eyes are now on Labour and whether they will back his call.

Jeremy Corbyn has told MPs that the party can't afford to reject an election again, The Sun revealed today.

And this morning close ally Richard Burgon said the Tories wanted to go to the polls whenever possible.
"As soon as No Deal if off the table," the party will vote for one, he said.
"We are not in the business of leaving the Tories in power, we want them out as soon as possible."

However, dozens of MPs are secretly terrified about the idea of an election, fearing losing their seats and a battering by voters.

It came after Mr Johnson experienced joy and then woe in the Commons last night:

In a major breakthrough, the PM won backing for his Brexit deal — as MPs voted for a second reading of the EU Withdrawal Bill by 329 to 299. But then he lost a vote on the crucial timetable motion
EU diplomats said that if Mr Johnson wants a shorter extension than three months he will have to write to European Council president Donald Tusk
Corbyn told MPs they couldn't afford to reject another request for an election - and voters would punish them if they did
Today Downing Street confirmed there could be a Brexit election before Christmas

CHRISTMAS ELECTION

Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith demanded a poll urgently this morning too.

He said: "If Labour play it straight and guarantee to get [the Bill through] they might go for that.

"If they want to play games the government has to go for an election - maybe even a vote of confidence in ourselves."

Justice Secretary Robert Buckland said it could be the "only way to break the deadlock".

He added: "We’d rather get Brexit done now. If there’s no way of getting parliament to agree to it, we want an election and we’re ready for it."

Theresa May's former deputy David Lidington said earlier: "I think the most probable outcome is you are probably looking at the last week in November or the first couple of weeks in December."

A December poll is now odds on, according to Betfair this morning.

But he urged another go at trying to force through Boris' deal first, with a short extension of just a few weeks.

The Times that the PM and Mr Corbyn were set to meet to discuss a fresh timetable motion today.

Boris could offer him a few extra days of scrutiny on the debate and then try to ram through the Bill at a later date.

A spokesperson for Mr Corbyn said this afternoon: "Jeremy Corbyn reiterated Labour’s offer to the PM to agree a reasonable timetable to debate, scrutinise and amend the Withdrawal Agreement Bill."

And the leftie boss said the party would back an election "when the threat of a No Deal crash is off the table."

No10 said today it was possible to hold a Christmas election before December 25.

FLEXTENSION?

Within two hours of the PM’s vote loss last night, EU boss Donald Tusk said he would recommend the three-month-long delay requested by Parliament.

EU diplomats told The Sun if Mr Johnson wanted a shorter extension he would have to write to him to ask for it.

A “flex-tension” that would see the EU end Britain’s membership as soon as the bill was passed by Parliament was last night seen as EU leaders’ most likely decision.

And this morning Irish PM Leo Varadkar said he'd be happy with this.

After a call with Mr Tusk he said it would be possible for the UK to leave before January 31 2020 if the Withdrawal Agreement had been ratified in advance of that.

Sources in Brussels insisted the bloc would not get dragged into UK politics by being seen to either encourage or block another General Election.

They said they continued to treat the January 31 date set out in the extension letter demanded by Parliament as the Government’s formal request for a delay.

One EU diplomat said: “We will not be dragged into the Westminster morass.”

And it was suggested that there could be a break cause every few weeks - done by written procedure rather than a special EU summit every time - in case a deal goes get over the line.

But France's Emmanauel Macron is said to be unhappy with the idea of a three month extension - and some in Government appear to think that he would veto it.

EU ambassadors are set to meet tonight in Brussels, where it will become clear whether the French President has serious issues with the EU's plan to extend.

Downing Street said this afternoon the PM has spoken to Donald Tusk today and made it clear "he continues to believe there should be no extension" to Brexit again and it's in the interests of both sides to get it done by October 31.

NO DEAL STILL POSSIBLE

Mr Johnson told MPs last night that he would accelerate the Government’s no deal preparations as “the only responsible course” in case the EU decided on no delay at all.

As he opened an emotionally charged Commons debate on the bill, Mr Johnson threw down the gauntlet on what he would do if his all- important three-day timetable to pass it was torpedoed.

He told MPs he would “in no way allow months more of this”.

Defiant Mr Johnson insisted he would repeat his firm line that “our policy remains that we should not delay, that we should leave the EU on October 31st”.

But No10 would not rule out the PM reluctantly accepting a far shorter delay of a few weeks to continue pushing his landmark Withdrawal Agreement Bill through Parliament.