• Tweeter
  • republish

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. October 19, 2019. Niklas HALLE'N / AFP

After the psychodrama of October 19 and the adoption of a surprise amendment that rejects the crucial vote on the Brexit agreement of Boris Johnson, the government does not admit defeat. The Prime Minister assured the next day that the United Kingdom would leave the European Union as planned on 31 October despite the request for extension that he had to send forced and forced to Brussels.

With our correspondent in London, Muriel Delcroix

After a short Sunday ceasefire , trench warfare resumes again this week between Downing Street and British MPs. The government has the firm intention to resubmit the Brexit agreement to a vote as early as Monday, October 21st.

Nevertheless, it depends on the goodwill of speaker John Bercow, the Speaker of the House of Commons. Normally, a motion can not be put to a vote twice in a single parliamentary session. This situation had already occurred in March under the Theresa May government for the first withdrawal agreement and John Bercow had vetoed it. He will have to decide again this Monday at the beginning of the afternoon.

Second confirmation referendum?

In any event, if he authorizes this vote, Boris Johnson now thinks he has convinced enough MEPs to approve his text pending the adoption of all the legislation to implement it. After his humiliating failure Saturday, it is clear that he would like to win this highly symbolic vote in the eyes of voters.

For their part, opposition politicians are bending their arms to introduce a series of amendments to this law of withdrawal. Some are considering a second confirmation referendum. Others want to amend the text to soften it and avoid a Brexit too hard. A third group seeks above all to delay the process or to completely derail it before 31 October.

See also: Brexit: the five scenarios for the future