ON DECRYPT
Eleven days before the Brexit deadline, Boris Johnson is forced to reconsider his plans on Sunday, having been forced by his parliament to demand a postponement of the divorce while hammering it out. A law passed in September stipulated that if no exit agreement was approved by Parliament by 19 October, the Prime Minister should request a postponement of Brexit until 31 January 2020. Boris Johnson has late sent the request for postponement on Saturday evening to the President of the European Council Donald Tusk.
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This new crazy day in Westminster leaves the United Kingdom in the dark about how it will emerge from the EU. Coming to power at the end of July on the promise to achieve Brexit at any cost on October 31, Boris Johnson is up against any postponement of the exit of the EU, originally scheduled for March 29 and already postponed twice.
A new vote from Monday?
But, according to government sources, Boris Johnson would have sent a second note to Donald Tusk saying that personally, he would not want this postponement, as he had warned members earlier. "I will not negotiate a postponement with the European Union, and that, the law does not oblige me, I will tell our friends and colleagues that a new postponement would be harmful for our country, for the European Union and for democracy ", he had proclaimed before the elected on Saturday.
Hallucinant: from British sources, Brussels would have received tonight 3 documents:
1 / one requesting the postponement of #Brexit, unsigned!
2 / a 2nd saying: "we sent you the 1st document because we are obliged"!
3 / a last Boris #Johnson, saying he does not want to postpone
Despite his defeat, Boris Johnson intends to continue the legislative process to introduce this new agreement in the British law. It should try to force this new vote on Monday, but members do not intend to let it go. On the strength of their victory, they plan to propose a whole series of amendments to the new agreement, such as to submit the future text to a second referendum.
In Brussels, we do not hurry
On the European side, there is no shock, but rather fatalism and resignation. The representatives of the 27 Member States will take stock this Sunday in Brussels. At first sight, they do not intend to rush. Yesterday evening at the reception of the British letters, the President of the European Council announced consultations at the level of the leaders which could take several days.
For its part, the Elysee said that Paris did not want to study the issue of a deadline, as long as the Parliament of Westminster did not vote on the substance of the agreement. If it is London that makes the request, it is the 27 Member States who will decide and they alone. Since they do not want an exit without agreement, they will end up delaying the Brexit again if they have no choice, without necessarily saying it right away.