British PM Johnson vows to stay put to hit Oct 31 Brexit deadline

By Elizabeth Piper, Kylie MacLellan and William James

 

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson appears on BBC TV's The Andrew Marr Show in Salford, Manchester, Britain, September 29, 2019. Jeff Overs/BBC/Handout via REUTERS

 

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - Boris Johnson said on Sunday he would not quit as Britain's prime minister even if he fails to secure a deal to leave the European Union, insisting only his Conservative government can deliver Brexit on Oct. 31.

 

At the beginning of his party's annual conference in the northern English city of Manchester, Johnson wants to rally his party with a "do or die" message that he will deliver Brexit by the end of October, with or without a deal.

 

But there are hurdles to clear, not the least of which is what Johnson calls "the surrender act" - a law parliament passed to force the prime minister to request a Brexit delay if he has not secured a deal with Brussels by an Oct. 17-18 EU summit.

 

Johnson and his ministers again declined to explain how he plans to circumvent that law and deliver on his Brexit promise, deepening uncertainty around Britain's biggest trade and foreign policy shift for more than 40 years.

 

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he will not quit to avoid asking the EU for a delay to Brexit. Rough cut (no reporter narration)

 

"People can feel that this country is approaching an important moment of choice and we have to get on and we have to deliver Brexit on October the 31st ... I'm going to get on and do it," he told BBC television.

 

Asked if he would resign to avoid having to ask for a delay, Johnson said: "No, I have undertaken to lead the party and my country at a difficult time and I am going to continue to do that. I believe it is my responsibility."

 

Michael Gove, the minister in charge of planning for a so-called no-deal Brexit, was equally confident the government's plans would not be derailed, saying ministers knew the shape of the deal they wanted to pursue ahead of an Oct. 17/18 EU summit.

 

"We know broadly what the outline of a deal might look like. If we can secure progress on all sides then we can get a deal agreed before the October (EU) council and we can have it signed off at the October council," Gove told an event at the conference.

 

But opposition lawmakers are increasingly hostile to Johnson's government, accusing the prime minister of stoking division by using terms such as "the surrender act". Even those who want a deal, might not be as compliant as before.

 

ELECTION FEVER

The Conservatives, like the main opposition Labour Party, are gearing up for an early election to break the Brexit deadlock.

 

No election is scheduled until 2022, but a snap poll is now widely expected to take place before the end of the year, especially after Johnson's Conservatives lost their majority in parliament.

 

Polling firm Opinium said the main opposition Labour Party gained 2 percentage points after its conference in Brighton last week, but the Conservatives still held a 12-point lead.

 

Matt Hancock, health minister, used the start of the Conservative conference to announce billions of pounds in spending for hospital projects across England - part of a plan by the ruling party to make good on some of the pledges made during the referendum campaign which Johnson helped lead.

 

Labour also used its conference to launch new policies, including plans for a four-day working week, but has yet to back Johnson's calls for an election, fearful he will lead Britain out of the EU without an agreement before any such poll is held.

 

Though the option of bringing a vote of no confidence in Johnson has been mooted in some quarters, Labour's education policy chief Angela Rayner said on Sunday the party wanted to "get no deal off the table" before it did anything else.

 

But time is running out on efforts to avoid a potentially chaotic departure from the EU, which many businesses say could hurt the economy and tip the country into recession.

 

The government is expected this week to present proposals aimed at overcoming the main stumbling block in talks - the border between the British province of Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland. So far the two sides have failed to agree how to prevent the return to a hard border if any future UK/EU deal fails to maintain frictionless trade.

 

Arlene Foster, the leader of Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which is allied with the Conservatives, again set out her red lines on any Brexit deal, telling an event at the Manchester gathering that the province could not be treated differently from the rest of the United Kingdom.

 

The DUP is seen as key to securing any Brexit deal.

 

Jacob Rees-Mogg, leader of the House of Commons lower house of parliament and an ally of Johnson, said he believed both Conservative and opposition lawmakers would most probably vote for any Brexit deal supported by the DUP.

 

Johnson said he was still hopeful of securing a "good deal" with the EU but added he would not pretend it would be easy.

"It is certainly true that other EU countries also don't want this thing to keep dragging on, and they don't want the UK to remain in the EU truculent and mutinous and in a limbo and not wishing to cooperate in the way they would like," he said.

"There is a strong view across the EU that it is time to move on."

 

(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper, Kylie MacLellan and William James; Editing by Gareth Jones and Susan Fenton)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-09-30

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"We know broadly what the outline of a deal might look like”

 

Now that is what one could call progress: ’broadly’, ‘outline’ and ‘might look like’. All that took only just over three years to get there. Now the only thing left is start thinking about the details and convince the EU and Parliament. Don’t worry, we have two weeks to achieve that........

Edited September 29, 20196 yr by damascase
Typo

It is time to move on!

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Polling firm Opinium said the main opposition Labour Party gained 2 percentage points after its conference in Brighton last week,

I'm guessing that this 2% figure was rounded down from Diane Abbots 200%

Bungle just don't know when to get out. He is intent on destroying the UK to serve his own agenda.

4 minutes ago, fishtank said:

Bungle just don't know when to get out. He is intent on destroying the UK to serve his own agenda.

 

Why , as an Englishman , would he willfully destroy his own country ?

 

What agenda could he have that he would need to do this ?

15 minutes ago, Denim said:

 

Why , as an Englishman , would he willfully destroy his own country ?

 

What agenda could he have that he would need to do this ?

Oh he doesn't want to destroy the country he just wants to continue being PM, whatever the cost. He wants to show that he delivered brexit, if it's a no deal brexit people won't start losing their jobs until after an election and he will already be PM (or so he thinks) so it won't matter. The EU and the UK will no doubt meet again and a new trade agreement will be thrashed out as neither side wants a damaging no deal to continue but obviously the conditions for the UK can never be as good as before brexit, yes BMW's and Mercedes will have tariffs on them but that wont stop people buying them in fact all these car companies have to do is to lower the prices to be in line with the prices on the continent, the UK car prices have always been elevated above the normal market price (hence grey market cars) because the British public are prepared to pay higher prices, I don't see a great deal of damage for the EU. 

1 hour ago, fishtank said:

Bungle just don't know when to get out. He is intent on destroying the UK to serve his own agenda.

Fortunately it is not for him to choose_.

1 hour ago, Denim said:

 

Why , as an Englishman , would he willfully destroy his own country ?

 

What agenda could he have that he would need to do this ?

Currency speculation?

2 hours ago, fishtank said:

Bungle just don't know when to get out. He is intent on destroying the UK to serve his own agenda.

aahh bds

2 hours ago, Denim said:

 

Why , as an Englishman , would he willfully destroy his own country ?

 

What agenda could he have that he would need to do this ?

 

He's backed by investors and millionaires who've all shorted the GBP. If the UK crashes out the GBP will plummet and they'll make billions. 

If that happens, he is still PM and doesn't have to call an election before 2022, but likely will, when he thinks the % point lead is enough. 

Then he can create the low cost, low wage, low workers' rights, economy that those same investors and millionaires want; with a low value GBP for their foreign currency earnings to exploit and create the tax avoidance haven they all want.

 

But some still think he's just an old fashioned simple patriot doing his best for the country!

 

Read what his own sisters says about him!

50 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

 

He's backed by investors and millionaires who've all shorted the GBP. If the UK crashes out the GBP will plummet and they'll make billions. 

If that happens, he is still PM and doesn't have to call an election before 2022, but likely will, when he thinks the % point lead is enough. 

Then he can create the low cost, low wage, low workers' rights, economy that those same investors and millionaires want; with a low value GBP for their foreign currency earnings to exploit and create the tax avoidance haven they all want.

 

But some still think he's just an old fashioned simple patriot doing his best for the country!

 

Read what his own sisters says about him!

Who are these "backers" you talk about?

1 hour ago, Baerboxer said:

 

He's backed by investors and millionaires who've all shorted the GBP. If the UK crashes out the GBP will plummet and they'll make billions. 

If that happens, he is still PM and doesn't have to call an election before 2022, but likely will, when he thinks the % point lead is enough. 

Then he can create the low cost, low wage, low workers' rights, economy that those same investors and millionaires want; with a low value GBP for their foreign currency earnings to exploit and create the tax avoidance haven they all want.

 

But some still think he's just an old fashioned simple patriot doing his best for the country!

 

Read what his own sisters says about him!

Funny you should say that as i heard that people like Starmer and Swinson are backed by investors and millionaires who are all long of GBP thus the reason they want to stay in the EU and make billion's. 

4 hours ago, fishtank said:

Bungle just don't know when to get out. He is intent on destroying the UK to serve his own agenda.

Really silly. Time you grew up.

20 minutes ago, alfieconn said:

Funny you should say that as i heard that people like Starmer and Swinson are backed by investors and millionaires who are all long of GBP thus the reason they want to stay in the EU and make billion's. 

Starmer up to his neck in this scheme.

Ditch digging is on track.....

2 hours ago, Baerboxer said:

 

He's backed by investors and millionaires who've all shorted the GBP. If the UK crashes out the GBP will plummet and they'll make billions. 

If that happens, he is still PM and doesn't have to call an election before 2022, but likely will, when he thinks the % point lead is enough. 

Then he can create the low cost, low wage, low workers' rights, economy that those same investors and millionaires want; with a low value GBP for their foreign currency earnings to exploit and create the tax avoidance haven they all want.

 

But some still think he's just an old fashioned simple patriot doing his best for the country!

 

Read what his own sisters says about him!

Regarding his sister I hope I would never do that to my brother no matter what he had done. 

Labour cannot hide forever. Currently 12 points plus behind the Tories.

 
Why , as an Englishman , would he willfully destroy his own country ?
 
What agenda could he have that he would need to do this ?

Because he is not a traitorous one like so many others in Parliament, many of whom are not English.
His agenda is to save the country and deliver us from the clutches of the EU. All as decided by the country’s referendum.

6 hours ago, Denim said:

 

Why , as an Englishman , would he willfully destroy his own country ?

 

What agenda could he have that he would need to do this ?

He doesn't care about the country but himself 

2 hours ago, nauseus said:

Who are these "backers" you talk about?

Arron Banks*, Crispin, Peter Hargreaves, Jeremy Hoskins, Peter Edmiston and others.

 

Banks has failed to account for the source of seven million pounds he passed over the the Leave Campaign.

1 minute ago, sawadee1947 said:

He doesn't care about the country but himself 

 

Perhaps , but it seems there are a lot of non native English speakers here with a weak grasp of the English language.

 

Even if he only cares for himself , it does not follow that he is sitting up in bed of a night with a mug of coco and a lap top trying to devise ways and means by which he can do the worst possible things to ensure his country suffers to the utmost.

 

The use of such hyperbole as ' willfully destroying ' or ' surrender bill ' is doing as much damage to the country as the politicians who were elected to serve it.

1 minute ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Arron Banks*, Crispin, Peter Hargreaves, Jeremy Hoskins, Peter Edmiston and others.

 

Banks has failed to account for the source of seven million pounds he passed over the the Leave Campaign.

 So nothing proven then.

16 minutes ago, Loiner said:

 

Because he is not a traitorous one like so many others in Parliament, many of whom are not English.
His agenda is to save the country and deliver us from the clutches of the EU. All as decided by the country’s referendum.

 

You are correct, many in Parliament are not English, there are numbers of Scottish, Welsh and Irish MPs.

 

Your use of the term ‘traitors’ reveals your zealotry but says nothing else meaningful.

1 minute ago, Denim said:

 

Perhaps , but it seems there are a lot of non native English speakers here with a weak grasp of the English language.

 

Even if he only cares for himself , it does not follow that he is sitting up in bed of a night with a mug of coco and a lap top trying to devise ways and means by which he can do the worst possible things to ensure his country suffers to the utmost.

 

The use of such hyperbole as ' willfully destroying ' or ' surrender bill ' is doing as much damage to the country as the politicians who were elected to serve it.

Disagree. The so-called politicians we have at the moment are far more damaging.

6 hours ago, fishtank said:

Bungle just don't know when to get out. He is intent on destroying the UK to serve his own agenda.

Oh, you've just come up for air eh.....????

1 minute ago, nauseus said:

 So nothing proven then.

You asked who the backers were, I’ve given you some of the most prominent and all of whom are open about their financial backing.

 

Odey in particular boasted of the £200 million he made on the Leave result and has placed a £300 miiliin bet against the UK in the Brexit negotiations.

 

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/boris-johnsons-donor-crispin-odey-eyes-brexit-jackpot-with-300m-bet-against-british-firms-0lwjbnqsn

21 minutes ago, sawadee1947 said:

He doesn't care about the country but himself 

Oh, we have the insider back aboard, welcome back.....????

13 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

You are correct, many in Parliament are not English, there are numbers of Scottish, Welsh and Irish MPs.

 

Your use of the term ‘traitors’ reveals your zealotry but says nothing else meaningful.

Pot/kettle....

27 minutes ago, Loiner said:

 

Because he is not a traitorous one like so many others in Parliament, many of whom are not English.
His agenda is to save the country and deliver us from the clutches of the EU. All as decided by the country’s referendum.

 

save the country ??? are the Mongols at the gates again, I shall have to get my mighty longbow out and wipe the blood off it from Agincourt.