Published 13:05 IST, October 20th 2019
Boris Johnson's Brexit plans delayed as Parliament postpones decision
Soon after the British Parliament postponed their decision to back PM Boris Johnson’s divorce deal, he asked the European Union late Saturday to delay Brexit.
- World News
- 3 min read
Soon after the British Parliament postponed their decision to back PM Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal, he asked the European Union late Saturday evening on October 19, to delay the process. However, it was reported that he was rigid about the fact that he personally disagrees with the delaying of UK’s exit strategy, which was earlier scheduled on October 31.
A delay would damage the interests of the UK: Boris
A law passed by Parliament a month ago set a late-night cutoff time for the administration to send a letter approaching the EU for a three-month deferment if officials had not approved an agreement with the bloc by Saturday. An hour prior to the cutoff time, European Council President Donald Tusk tweeted: "The extension request has just arrived. I will now start consulting EU leaders on how to react.”
Johnson clarified he was making the solicitation under coercion. The letter requesting an extension was not signed. It was joined by a subsequent letter, marked by Johnson, explaining that delay would "damage the interests of the UK and our EU partners".
Macron demands for brisk explanation
French President Emmanuel Macron appeared to agree with Boris Johnson on the issue of postponing the exit strategy. Macron's office said he spoke to the UK Prime Minister by telephone and demanded the requirement for brisk explanation of the British situation on the agreement. The President's office said Macron suggested to the British leader that a delay would be in no one’s interest.
At a weekend Parliamentary session, officials voted around 322-306 to retain their agreement of the Brexit bargain until legislation to execute it has been passed. The vote looked to guarantee that the UK can't crash out of the EU without an arrangement on the planned exit date. Johnson, who struck the agreement with the EU this week, said he was not "dismayed or terrified" by the outcome and would keep on doing everything he can to complete Brexit in under about fourteen days.
Notably, this was the Parliament's first end of the week sitting since the Falklands War of 1982, and has been termed as "Super Saturday." It looked set to bring Britain’s Brexit saga to a head, more than three years after the country’s divisive decision to leave the EU. However, the government’s hopes were derailed when House of Commons Speaker John Bercow said he would allow a vote on an amendment to put the vote on the deal off until another day.
Updated 14:01 IST, October 20th 2019