LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has threatened to withdraw the Brexit law from parliament and demand early legislative elections if lawmakers refuse to set a quick timetable for approving Johnson's deal with the European Union.
"If parliament refuses to allow Britain out of the EU and decides to postpone everything to January or even later, the text will have to be withdrawn and go to early elections," Johnson told the House of Commons on Tuesday.
The MPs are expected to vote this evening on the timetable proposed by the government and aims to approve the 110-page text by Thursday evening.
The date for Britain's formal exit from the bloc is October 31, and Johnson insists he stick to it even if Britain is forced out without an agreement.
The Johnson government has asked the Union to extend the deadline beyond the end of October at the will of the House of Commons, which passed an amendment to commit the government to do so, so that lawmakers can study the revised Brexit agreement reached with Brussels.
"If we approve this agreement and the legislation it decides, we can turn the page and allow this parliament and this country to begin to recover and unite," Johnson said today.
He added that if parliament approved the agreement, the government would stop intensifying preparations for a possible exit from the European Union without an agreement by the end of next week.
"If the parliament votes again in favor of delaying the rejection of the program, and if the EU offers the delay to January 31, we will withdraw the bill and go to elections before Christmas (December 25)," a Reuters source said. I) "Next.