 |
| Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson said further Brexit delay would be 'pointless and deeply corrosive' (AFP Photo) |
London (AFP) - British MPs voted Saturday to force Prime Minister Boris Johnson to ask the European Union to delay Brexit yet again but he insisted Britain must leave on October 31.
In a day of
high drama in the House of Commons, MPs declined to give their backing to the
divorce agreement Johnson struck with the EU this week until accompanying
legislation has been passed.
In doing
so, MPs triggered a law requiring Johnson to write to EU leaders asking to delay
Brexit to avoid a "no deal" departure in less than two weeks.
The result
is a major blow to Johnson, who said he would rather be "dead in a
ditch" than prolong the tortuous Brexit process that has left Britain in
political turmoil since the 2016 EU referendum.
But in a
typically defiant response, the Conservative leader refused, sparking outrage
among opposition MPs -- and fresh uncertainty about what happens next.
 |
| Thousands joined a rally calling for a second referendum on Brexit (AFP Photo/ISABEL INFANTES) |
"I
will not negotiate a delay with the EU and neither does the law compel me to do
so," he told MPs, who were sitting on a Saturday for the first time since
the 1982 Falklands War.
He said he
would tell EU leaders that "further delay would be bad for this country,
bad for the European Union and bad for democracy".
The Tory
party went further, writing in a tweet: "The Prime Minister will not ask
for a delay."
Brussels
urged Britain to explain its plan as soon as possible while Labour leader
Jeremy Corbyn, whose party opposed the deal, said: "The prime minister
must now comply with the law."
'Pointless' delay
Securing
the deal at Thursday's Brussels summit was a personal victory for Johnson, a
figurehead in the 2016 Leave campaign who has vowed to deliver Brexit on
October 31 come what may.
He has
spent the last 48 hours frantically trying to persuade MPs to back it, and won
support from many of the eurosceptic Conservative MPs who rejected a previous
divorce agreement.
 |
Demonstrators
brandish an effigy depicting Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson
as a puppet
operated by his adviser Dominic Cummings during an anti-Brexit
protest (AFP
Photo/ISABEL INFANTES)
|
But
parliament -- like the frustrated public -- is still bitterly divided over how
and even if Britain should end four decades of integration with its closest
neighbours.
Opposition
parties and Johnson's own Northern Irish allies rejected the text, and joined
together to back an amendment brought by former Conservative minister Oliver
Letwin.
This
amendment made approval of the deal contingent on parliament passing
legislation to ratify the text before Britain leaves the EU.
Johnson
needed a clear vote in favour of the deal to avoid triggering a law passed
against his will last month, requiring him to send a letter asking for a delay
of three months to Brexit.
If he
refuses, he is likely to face a court challenge forcing him to send it.
If EU
leaders agree, he must accept, or if they offer an alternative date, he must
also accept unless parliament intervenes.
Johnson
earlier warned a third Brexit delay was "pointless", adding:
"Now is the time to get this thing done."
 |
What the
draft Brexit deal means for Northern Ireland (AFP Photo/
Gillian HANDYSIDE)
|
He said he
would introduce legislation next week to implement his Brexit deal, expressing
hope that if it passes, Britain could still leave on October 31.
The first
vote could come as soon as Tuesday.
Second
referendum calls
Outside
parliament, tens thousands of people marching to demand a new referendum that
might reverse Brexit erupted into cheers at the result.
"The
first referendum was jumping on a train without a destination. Now that we have
a destination, we need to have a second referendum," said Douglas Hill,
35, on the march with his Estonian wife.
The leader
of the main opposition Labour party, which opposed the Brexit deal, echoed
this.
"We
will not back this sell-out deal," Jeremy Corbyn said.
 |
Chronology
of Brexit negotiations since Prime Minister Boris Johnson presented
his new
plan on October 2 (AFP Photo/Cecilia SANCHEZ)
|
He added:
"Voting for a deal today won't end Brexit. It won't deliver certainty and
the people should have the final say."
An online
Survation poll of 1,025 adults on Thursday and Friday for the Daily Mail found
that 50 percent said MPs should vote for the deal, while 38 percent said not.
EU leaders
in Brussels this week urged lawmakers to back the deal to allow both sides to
move on to discussing their future relationship.
The deal
covers Britain's financial settlement, protects the rights of EU citizens and
sets out a post-Brexit transition period potentially until 2022 to allow both
sides to agree new trade terms.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.