<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once again British government doubled down on Sunday,\ninsisting it would leave the European Union in 11 days’ time despite parliament\nforcing a reluctant prime minister to request another delay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a day of high drama on Saturday, MPs in the House of\nCommons passed up the chance to decide on the revised withdrawal agreement that\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson had negotiated with the European Union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That defeat leaves Johnson under mounting pressure to find a\nway out of paralysing impasse on when and how Britain would leave the EU bloc\nafter Britons narrowly voted to exit in a 2016 referendum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Late Saturday, Johnson reluctantly sent European Council\nPresident Donald Tusk a letter legally imposed on him by parliament requesting\nan extension \u2014 but refused to sign it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Conservative leader sent a second, signed letter\ninsisting he was not seeking an extension to the Brexit deadline, which has\nalready been postponed twice, warning that \u201ca further extension would damage\nthe interests of the UK and our EU partners\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Having failed to back a divorce deal, which Johnson had\nsecured on Thursday, they triggered a law requiring him to write to EU leaders\nasking to delay Brexit, to avoid the risk that Britain crashes out in less than\na fortnight’s time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Senior cabinet minister Michael Gove, the government’s\nBrexit planning chief, was nonetheless adamant that Britain would leave the EU\non schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes. We are going to leave on October 31. We have the means\nand the ability to do so,\u201d he told Sky News television.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The government will bring forward this week the domestic\nlegislation needed to implement the divorce deal, with a first vote as soon as\nTuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Separately, it is seeking a new yes-or-no vote on approving\nthe deal on Monday, although this may fall foul of parliamentary procedure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf we get the legislation through then there is no\nextension. October 31 is within sight,\u201d said Gove.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said it was dangerous to assume that the 27 other EU leaders\nwould grant an extension.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
More than three years on from the June 2016 vote to leave\nthe EU, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told BBC television that from his\nconversations with other EU capitals, \u201cthey are fed up with this now \u2014 and we\nare fed up with it\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Johnson’s number two added that he was \u201cconfident\u201d of\nleaving on October 31.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Labour main opposition has lambasted Johnson’s deal as a\n\u201csell-out\u201d and voted for the delay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, senior figures hinted on Sunday that they could let\nit go through, subject to amendments including a second referendum pitting a\ndivorce deal against remaining in the bloc after all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat we are trying to achieve is that this deal in\nparticular, but any deal, is put up against Remain in a referendum,\u201d the\nparty’s Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer told the BBC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd we will have to see tactically how we get there.\u201d\nJohnson \u201cmight even meet the deadline\u201d, finance spokesman John McDonnell told\nSky News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brussels officials pressed on with plans to ratify the\ndivorce deal as European leaders considered Johnson’s delay request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ambassadors and senior officials from the other 27 member\nstates met on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe EU is keeping all options open and has therefore\ninitiated the ratification process so that it can be handed over to the\nEuropean Parliament on Monday,\u201d an EU diplomat told AFP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe EU will probably pursue this strategy until there is\nclarity on the British side,\u201d he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tusk will spend a \u201cfew days\u201d canvassing member state\nleaders, and diplomats said this would mean the British parliament will have to\nvote on Brexit again before hearing their decision on the October 31 departure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
MPs voted by 322 votes to 306 on Saturday to support former\nConservative MP Oliver Letwin’s amendment to buy extra time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Letwin said he would now switch and vote for the deal.\nFormer interior minister Amber Rudd said the same, meaning Johnson is just a\nfew votes short.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Brexit date has already been pushed back twice from\nMarch 29, to the fury of those who wanted to chart their own course and abandon\nthe European project after nearly 50 years.(AFP. Daily Dawn)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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