BREXICAN STANDOFF
Brexit latest: Jeremy Corbyn set to sink Christmas election by demanding PM promises UK will NEVER leave with No Deal
JEREMY Corbyn has admitted he will sink a Christmas election on Monday unless Boris Johnson vows to NEVER let Britain leave the EU without a deal.
The leftie leader has caused a bitter stand off as he refuses yet again to back the PM's call to go back to the polls and let the British people decide Brexit.
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The leftie boss appeared to be running scared yet again, saying his party would only vote for an election if the PM promises not to ever exit the EU without a deal.
But he didn't say exactly what he wanted Boris to do in order to do this.
Meanwhile EU leaders have confirmed they will back a Brexit delay - but will decide on the length of it next week.
Corbyn's refusal to back a vote has worried leaders into thinking that nothing may be done if they offer a long delay.
And this morning he tacked on a whole list of new demands Boris has to give in to if he wants to secure his backing for a vote.
But Mr Corbyn also did not recognise that Labour could overturn the PM's Brexit policy anyway if they fought and won an election.
He told ITV's This Morning: "He has to take [No Deal] off [the table] to my satisfaction."
And he said the PM must "come to Parliament on Monday and make absolutely clear he is going to make sure there is no crash out.
"His deal includes the possibility of a No Deal exit. We have got to hold him to account."
He also hinted that he didn't like the idea of a December 12 election date either.
Mr Corbyn said: "Maybe before December 12. I don't know what the date is going to end up being.
"The December 12 date is really odd for many reasons."
He said it was "after many universities end their terms for Christmas", showing he's seriously worried about students in uni towns not being around to vote for Labour.
Last night the SNP said they wanted an earlier vote too.
Westminster leader Ian Blackford called for one "as soon as possible", suggesting December 5 as an option.
It comes as:
- Sajid Javid confirmed the October 31 Brexit date was dead - and the Treasury admitted the Brexit coins had been "paused"
- Boris vowed to hold DAILY election votes until the leftie Labour boss gives in
- Jean Claude Juncker blasted Boris for "spreading lies" during the referendum campaign
- Follow all the live action with our blog here
This lunchtime Boris told Corbyn to "man up" and agree to an early vote.
In a clip as he visited a school and a hospital today he said: "We should be leaving on October 31.
"If they want to make progress on this, and build on the success we had in agreeing that deal, we can bring back the Withdrawal Bill and have more debates on Brexit
"But they have got to agree a deadline. No one will believe the Labour party are going to allow Brexit to happen unless there is the deadline of an election on Dec 12.
"The offer is there to Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party, I hope they take it."
And EU diplomats told The Sun that the Labour leader's decision could prompt leaders to put off a decision until Monday - after MPs vote on whether to hold an election.
One said: "I doubt we'll get white smoke now. This plays right into Macron's hands.
"We'll still try to converge around three months but it's likely more member states will now be sympathetic to the French position."
French President Emmanuel Macron wants Britain to leave the EU in just two weeks - but the rest of the bloc want a three-month flexible extension where we leave whenever a deal is passed.
EU leaders are set to pile pressure on MPs to back the PM's bid on Monday by delaying a decision on the extension.
France's EU affairs minister said last night they would not want a long extension unless Parliament were to vote for an election.
She said: "If there are elections that are not just desired but announced, organised, then we will be able to take decisions. We need facts."
Mr Macron is said to be opposed to the three-month Brexit delay as he fears more dithering from politicians.
He wants a much shorter delay of around 15 days - to try and pressure Remainer MPs into backing the deal or face a No Deal Brexit.
Under "flextension" plans being drawn up, however, Britain would stay in the EU until January 31 and would leave sooner if MPs signed off the deal.
Some countries were even mulling adding a special clause authorising a November 15 exit in a bid to encourage Parliament to back the deal.
Germany had argued strongly in favour of the January 31 date, saying to choose any other would plunge the EU into the UK's internal political debate.
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CORB'S CHAOS
This morning Diane Abbott said they party would back an election call only after they see what kind of extension the EU offer.
She said: "The Labour Party is definitely up for an election, but there are two things we need to know.
"One is what sort of extension the EU is going to give and as you say we won't know until Monday."
And the other was to hear from Boris that No Deal was no longer an option.
She suggested that there may have be "legislation" to take the option off the table.
And she hit out at the December 12 date, saying it was a "ludicrous day" to hold a poll.
But Labour has already ordered its MPs to abstain from a vote on an election on Monday - effectively blocking one.
It needs 434 MPs to push an election through, which would leave Boris considerably short.
Around half of the Labour Party's MPs have told party whips they won't vote for an early election for fear of losing their seats.
One source said: “If he's stupid enough to give Boris an election now we are going to get smashed.”
NO BREXIT ON OCTOBER 31
It came as Chancellor Sajid Javid confirmed for the first time that Britain won't be leaving on October 31.
MPs effectively killed off any chance of that by voting down the PM's timetable for his Brexit bill earlier this week.
The Chancellor said this morning: "We now have to accept that we won't be able to leave on October 31 because Parliament has requested an extension.
"We have to assume they will offer a three month extension."
And he vowed that the Government would keep bringing forward election votes until Mr Corbyn gives in and backs one.
He told the BBC: "The Opposition have said, week after week, that if there is a delay of three months, which is what they requested through Parliament, then they will vote for a general election, so let's see if they keep their word.
"And if they don't then we will keep bringing back to Parliament a motion to have an election.
"And we will keep doing that again and again."
The Treasury also confirmed today that they have "paused" production of the 31 October Brexit coins.
A source told The Telegraph: "We have paused production of the Brexit coin and will take a final decision in due course."
Hundreds of thousands of the coins are likely to have already been minted - and could become collectors items if they are kept and not melted down.
There were plans for 10million to celebrate the day Britain was set to leave the EU.
Brexit: What happens next?
- EU ambassadors meet today to discuss delay but are likely to hold off on making a decision
- Monday: Boris Johnson holds another election vote in the Commons, but Labour are set to abstain
- Thursday: Britain set to leave the EU without a deal unless EU approves extension
- November 6: Boris wants to finish debating Brexit Bill in Parliament by this date - and hopefully get it passed
- November 30: New date Britain could leave the EU
- December 12: PM wants fresh election to break deadlock
- January 31: EU set to offer fresh Brexit extension until this date
MOST READ IN POLITICS
No10 warned last night that the PM could refuse to bring forward any legislation to Parliament either, effectively blocking anything from happening.
As EU capitals paved the way for our exit Jean-Claude Juncker last night branded claims that Britain doesn't belong in the bloc "bull****".
The outgoing Commission chief accused Boris Johnson of "spreading lies" during the referendum campaign, saying he should have intervened.
He said: "I don’t think that Brexit is in the interest of Britain or the EU. All of us will pay the price.";
But in a speech to a think tank in Brussels he moaned: "I have spent too much time with Brexit. It is enough now."
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Britain WON'T have Brexit on October 31 despite Boris Johnson's promise, Sajid Javid confirms
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