We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
LAST UPDATE | 6 Sep 2019
THE UK HOUSE OF Lords has approved a bill that would force the government to seek a three-month extension on the Brexit deadline if there is no-deal with the EU by 19 October.
The opposition in parliament and so-called Tory rebels succeeded this week in getting the Benn Bill debated, voted on and passed through the House of Commons.
The bill was then sent to the House of Lords for examination and it will now proceed to royal assent – the queen’s agreement to make the bill into a law.
It is expected to be signed into law by Queen Elizabeth on Monday.
House of Lords / TwitterThe #HouseofLords third reading of #EUWithdrawal6Bill has now ended. As both Houses of @UKParliament have agreed the final text, the bill now proceeds to royal assent.
— House of Lords (@UKHouseofLords) September 6, 2019
Opposition parties earlier confirmed that had agreed to block Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s request for a snap general election until a no-deal Brexit has been prevented.
Johnson is to table a second motion to dissolve parliament on Monday, after a vote on Wednesday failed to reach the required two-thirds majority (298 ayes to 56 noes).
Yesterday Johnson said yet again that he didn’t want an election: “… But frankly I don’t see any other way. It’s the only way to get this thing moving.”
“Boris Johnson is on the run,” Plaid Cymru leader Liz Saville Roberts told Sky News.
“As parliamentarians whose priority is to stop a no-deal Brexit, our job is to make sure the Act [to stop a no-deal Brexit] – which is to be granted royal assent today or over the weekend – is put into effect and that we remain here as parliamentarians to make sure that the Prime Minister does his duty by the law.”
The Labour Party, which has wavered over whether to back a snap election, a will not back Johnson’s bid for an election, according to Reuters News and the BBC.
Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon said that an early election is “a question of ‘when’ not ‘if’ – but Johnson mustn’t be allowed to dictate the timing as a device to avoid scrutiny and force through a ‘no deal’ Brexit”.
The SNP relishes the prospect of an election. But while our party interest might be served by voting for an election now, it is in the wider public interest to deny a PM threatening to defy the law any ability to cut and run in his own interests. We’ll act in the public interest.
Layla Moran of the Liberal Democrats said that she’s not convinced that a general election would “solve anything”. “If you really want Brexit stop, you take it back to the people with the option to Remain and you vote to remain in the EU.”
A Conservative Group for Europe carried out a 10,000-people strong poll of British voters indicated that a snap election would produce another hung parliament:
The results indicated that the Conservatives would secure 311 seats (-6); Labour would win 242 (-20); the Liberal Democrats would increase their take to 21 (+9); the Scottish National Party would go up to 52 (+17); Plaid Cymru would get 4 MPs (no change); the Green Party would get 1 seat (no change); and one more would go to ‘others’.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Geez! What a photo!! Two bullshitters together!!
@Niall Sheridan: and the Minister of Silly Walks on the other side.
@Paul Furey: nailed it, ha, ha!
@Niall Sheridan:
In training on an option to tackle Cummings.
AT THIS STAGE the talk about brexit should be stopped completely its a farce
@Niall Sheridan: so true!
Think Boris’s days are numbered.
Disgracefully undemocratic parliament; they don’t even pretend to attempt to enact the will of the people any longer! Such a patrician we-know-what’s-best-for-the-great unwashed sort of attitude. Hope the public get to take their revenge at the ballot box really soon, when parliament finally deigns to allow an election that is!
@Stephen: last time they went to the ballot box they elected a hung parliament bitterly divided on Brexit – so it’s perfectly democratic.
Said it before – maybe extraordinarily Complex international agreements aren’t best suited to Yes No referenda?
@Shazam37: You might be right about the latter half of that, but regarding the former, we must remember that nearly all of parliament were elected in 2017 on the basis of promising and agreeing to deliver Brexit, there were very few dissenting voices then, so what they’re doing now is totally flying in the face of their original mandate and smacks of turncoat-ism
@Stephen: will you give over. You know it should never have been a simple yes/no vote, that all voters knew then what they know now to enable them to make an informed decision, so many should not have been so gullible in swallowing all that peddled rubbish and no proroging. A complete and intended shambles that deserves a new vote.
@Paul Furey: By all means there should be another vote, if that’s the only way to placate the powers that be, but I wouldn’t bet on the ‘right answer’ being given next time either. Nothing irks people more than feeling their voice is being overridden by those who supposedly ‘know best’
@Stephen: no one agreed on how. A hung parliament was delivered – let’s not forget the Tories had their majority destroyed after the last election and Brexit was a Tory policy.
Labour were originally against Brexit and then against no deal. Lib Dem’s have always been anti brexit.
The parties that gained seats from the Tories have been anti this from the start.
@Stephen: Here’s a great speech by Baroness Betty Boothroyd in the House of Lords about Brexit a few months ago:
Corbyn a ‘dithering leader’ and Johnson a ‘charlatan’ – https://youtu.be/GrZFRVd-cX4
@Paul Furey: the peddled rubbish by the Remain side I agree.
Whether a binary referendum is best thing to do or not is now irrelevant. The government of the day promised to enact the result and 500+ MPs, many still present, voted to trigger article 50 knowing the default is to leave if no deal is struck.
Did they not know what they were voting for when they voted for Article 50? Did they read it?
Labour whipped against the deal but leaving without a deal is the worst thing ever. Completely contradictory position.
@David Jordan: Lol, she is great. Why can’t there be a Betty running the country?
@Revolution or Cup of Tea?: nobody voted for a no deal Brexit. The majority voted to leave and the UK should leave but for any mp to not stand against doing so in a manner that they believe would harm the nation would be negligent to say the very least
@Stephen: She’s great, 88 years old when she gave that speech and still sharp as tack.
She also said you don’t just vote just once in a Democracy, people have the right to change their minds, the lies and falsehoods peddled during the referendum campaign gives people the right to a 2nd referendum:
Boris and his £350 million lie: https://i.imgur.com/hTyvhPk.jpg
“Which brings me to Mr. Boris Johnson. His campaign past didn’t proclaim, say yes to a no deal, we were promised an easy ride with a cash bonus thrown in. The question on the ballot paper did not ask us to choose between a hard Brexit or a soft one, for a Canadian or a Norway Plus deal, or a deal that would separate Northern Ireland from the rest of the United Kingdom. Nobody dreamed we would be frantically now preparing for worst case scenarios. And we are now paying the price for a referendum that was dominated by falsehoods. Brexiter promised the world but ignored the social and political realities festering in our own country.”
@David Jordan: Ha ha excellent, I will have to agree to disagree with her about Brexit but what a wonderful woman
@Stephen: they have tried to get a deal and will keep trying. The will of the people will be enacted. A no-deal is obviously not desirable for anybody, anywhere except maybe Mogg and Cummins. How don’t you get that?? Pretty simple.
And on and on and on we go. Farce the whole lot of it, how many years has this been going on for (BREXIT) if they leave without a deal they world won’t end, people will adapt and business will change. It all reminds me of the Y2K gibberish, toasters will blow up etc…. If they want to go let them go, if a deal can be found great.
@Kieran Campbell: Have you figured out the answer to the border then Kieran.
The election would be set in law for 2 weeks before Brexit (Oct 15th), plenty of time for Labour or whoever to block a no deal Brexit.
What’s the issue here? Are they scared they won’t win?
@Eamonn Hughes: The government would still be in control of a dissolved parliament, they would have the power to postpone the election until after the 31st effectively forcing a no-deal Brexit.
@Eamonn Hughes: What Boris says is different to what Boris does. He says election 15th of October, then people have to trust he is telling the truth… They don’t.
@Eamonn Hughes: That’s exactly it. No one should be fooled by their lame attempt at nobility. If they thought they could win the election they would be in like Flynn
@Eamonn Hughes: no- the issue is that if they agree to Oct 15th -Boris is allowed to just move date to after 31st and then the no deal brexit he wants kicks in —its not that complicated to understand that as political strategies go Labour are in a position to keep the squeeze on BJ and the govt for a while until they can be sure that the election cant and wont be used to enforce or enable a hard brexit. Nothing to do with being scared. Try keep up mate.
@Eamonn Hughes: Keep believing what the Ti6ry press tell you. The only people running scared are BJ and his pals. Having declared there were plenty of alternatives to the Backstop, they have fallen to come up with any. So now the are trying to orchestrate an election they say they dont want.
These minister stopping brexit will loose heavy come election..
@Willy: Boris’ own seat is at risk. Would he be the first PM to lose his seat? If he goes into the election as PM that is, but he could resign before that.
Border down the Irish sea to hell with the Dup not needed anymore sorted.
@Donal Connell: you would think – unfortunately Farage and Brexit party won’t go along with that and neither will many hard brexiteers – so its all a bit of mess -as usuaul
@Dave Hammond: hard brexiters don’t seem to give a toss about NI. It wasn’t even a consideration during the referendum, Theresa may pandered to the DUP for a while but now they aren’t needed anymore.
For a country so eager to leave the EU they sure are taking their time haha
The poll they did on brexit was wrong, why believe this one?
The Prime Minister with the total shortest period in office was George Canning, whose sole term lasted 119 days from 12 April 1827 until his death on 8 August 1827.
Boris Johnson: Hold my beer.
Whic is the Real Bull in the Photo
It is good to see common sense prevails no deal crash out is a disaster for everybody .
So has the talk of a coup ended now an election has been offered?
Worst Coup EVER!
It is good to see common sense prevails no deal crash out is a disaster for everybody .Its ok to leave the EU but leave with the good will of all the other countries.
How many times will this be delayed they keep saying we need to make a deal, they have a deal its not changing so take it or leave on october 31st
But Boris said they were leaving Oct 31st “do or die”. Guess he’ll have to chose the latter.
The bull has more intelligence than the shit holding it. Zw
What a joke of a poll. It doesn’t even mention the Brexit party who are between 10 and 15% in the polls. Farage’s party will seriously hurt the Tories..
Bullocks to Brexit Boris
More Bullshit.
Why am I not surprised!
have your say