Boris Johnson to seek Brexit delay if no deal agreed by 19 October
Boris Johnson will ask the EU for a Brexit delay beyond Halloween if he cannot secure a deal by 19 October, it is reported.
Government documents filed with a Scottish court show Johnson will break his promise to deliver Brexit by 31 October by seeking an extension, according to Sky News.
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The revelation contradicts the Prime Minister’s public position on Brexit as he has to date insisted that the UK will leave the EU at the end of the month, with or without a deal.
The documents came to light as campaigners pushed for a ruling that would force Johnson to follow the Benn Act, which commits him to request extra time if a deal is not agreed following a European Council meeting on 17 October.
Sterling slumped against the dollar on the news, with analysts saying the volatility was sparked by “mixed messages” over Brexit.
“Pricing for this has become a nightmare for traders, expect more volatility,” Neil Wilson, chief market analyst at Markets.com, said.
Lawyers for the government are expected to outline their legal position later this afternoon.
The legal case was brought by director of the Good Law Project Jo Maugham QC, SNP MP Joanna Cherry QC and Dale Vince, the founder of energy company Ecotricity in an attempt to avoid a no-deal Brexit.
Cherry said: “What Boris Johnson has told the court through his lawyers directly contradicts what he said to parliament yesterday.
“With this PM nothing short of a formal binding undertaking to the court will do.”
Johnson yesterday made an offer to the EU, which he argued would remove the need for the Irish backstop and paves the way for an 11th-hour Brexit deal to be clinched.
In a letter to European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, Johnson said the proposals allow for “a meaningful Brexit, in which UK trade policy is fully under UK control from the start”.
As part of the plans Northern Ireland would effectively stay in customs union for goods, with the creation of an all-island regulatory zone.
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Northern Ireland would leave the EU’s customs union along with the UK, meaning there would have to be new customs checks between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
But the proposals argue the bulk of these checks could be carried out electronically, with a small number carried out physically, away from the border, for example at business’ premises.