'MAN UP' JEZ
Boris Johnson tells Jeremy Corbyn to ‘man up’ and back snap election to avoid further Brexit deadlock
BORIS Johnson has called on Jeremy Corbyn to “man up” and agree to a December 12 general election to avoid a new Brexit paralysis for months.
The PM needs Labour’s support to win a two thirds majority to set a polling day date in a showdown Commons vote on Monday.
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But the Opposition boss announced he will turn Boris down, creating another titanic Parliamentary stand off.
Instead, Mr Corbyn set the PM a new high bar of guarantees against No Deal first, which the Tories insisted were drawn up to be unreachable.
Mr Johnson reversed his threat for a Government strike in the Commons.
But while domestic legislation would continue as normal if the election vote is lost, the PM said a law to enact his new Brexit deal would stay on ice, potentially for weeks on end.
As Westminster wrestled with the fresh political crisis, also today;
- Downing Street figures warned the new logjam could end up with Labour and rebel MPs enforcing a FOURTH Brexit delay to keep Britain in the EU past Spring 2020.
- Options being mulled over in No10 include the Government taking the extraordinary step of tabling a no confidence vote in itself in an alternative way to force a Christmas poll.
- Doubts emerged among some Tory ministers over Mr Johnson’s high stakes election bid, with some warning it will fail.
- A former Tory Cabinet minister warned Mr Johnson that Brexit could be “lost completely” if he forces an election before Britain leaves the EU.
Speaking on a hospital visit, the PM insisted: “If they want to build on the success we had in agreeing that deal, we can bring back the Withdrawal Bill and have more debates on Brexit.
“But they have got to agree a deadline. No one will believe the Labour party are going to allow Breixt to happen unless there is the deadline of an election on December 12.”
Warning that the crippling stand off could last well into next year, a Downing Street source added: “We couldn’t hold an election in January as that would mean campaigning over Christmas, which wouldn’t be popular, so an election vote this week is the last chance.
“If MPs don’t vote for an election this week, they are voting for not just one extension but another in January too.”
TIED TO EU
Mr Corbyn set the conditions of Labour’s support for a December 12 election very high - designed to make it almost impossible for the PM to agree.
In a fresh demand, the Labour leader called on the PM to tweak the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill to make it legally impossible for Britain to drop out of the EU at the end of the transition period in December 2020 without a deal.
The PM’s current Brexit deal states that the transition period - during which Britain has to comply with all EU rules without having a say in them - can be extended by a maximum of two years.
But that can only happen if the Government decides to extend.
Mr Corbyn’s new demand would mean the UK would automatically enter an extended transition period for up to two years.
That would mean Britain would be tied to EU rules without having a say on for up to three years - until 2022.
Speaking on ITV’s This Morning Show, Mr Corbyn said: "Providing the Prime Minister comes to Parliament on Monday and makes it absolutely clear he is going to make sure that there is no crash out - because his deal includes the possibility of a no-deal exit.
"He's going to have to do that because that's how Parliament works: we've got to hold him to account. I think a no-deal exit is very dangerous. If he comes on Monday and says that, OK."
The conditions make it almost impossible for the PM to agree to because he would risk losing the crucial support of hardline Tory Brexiteers.
'LEAVE US IN LIMBO'
And Mr Corbyn then gave himself maximum wriggle room to demand even more conditions by saying Mr Johnson would have to "take No Deal off the table to my satisfaction".
Sajid Javid said the Government will keep tabling votes to force a general election if Labour vote against one on Monday.
Mr Javid said the stalemate over Brexit had reduced Westminster to a "zombie parliament", and that it was now up to Labour to end the deadlock by agreeing to go back to the country.
The Chancellor also admitted for the first time that Boris’s ‘do or die’ vow for Britain to leave the EU on October 31 had failed, saying: "We have to accept we won't be able to leave on 31 October. We tried everything possible”.
But one senior minister told The Sun he fears Mr Johnson’s election bluff will fail and he could end up humiliated.
The Cabinet minister said: “Why should Corbyn do anything other than leave us in limbo?”
But another Cabinet minister countered: “It’s not as if we have many other options”.
Ex-Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley also spoke out to attack the PM’s bid to force a vote on December 12 without securing Brexit first.
MOST READ IN BREXIT
As well as putting our EU departure itself at stake, she said The Tories will also lose too many Remain seats in the south if the election is focused only on Brexit.
Ms Bradley said: “The risk is that we could see another hung parliament, where a coalition of Labour, the SNP and Lib Dems could put Jeremy Corbyn into Downing Street, in return for a second referendum on Brexit”.
Brexiteer Labour MP Kate Hoey said it will be “very difficult” for her own party to win an election “because we haven’t done what we’ve said in our manifesto”.
Jeremy Corbyn denies he's frightened of fighting a general election against Boris Johnson but a No Deal Brexit needs to be ruled out
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