MPs plan to go to court to force Boris Johnson to seek Brexit extensions
2 min read
A cross-party group of MPs, including Tories expelled by the party, have lined up a legal team to challenge the Prime Minister if he refuses to seek a Brexit delay.
According to the BBC, the group are willing to go to court if necessary to compel Boris Johnson to ask the EU for a stay on Brexit.
A bill that would force Mr Johnson to seek a three-month Brexit extension if he had not struck a deal with the EU by October 19 was passed into law by the House of Lords on Friday.
Boris Johnson has ruled out seeking an extension to Article 50 if he fails to get a deal, adding that he is only bound “in theory” by the law.
Speaking during a visit to a farm in Aberdeenshire yesterday, he insisted that he would secure a deal at the European Council on October 17 and that the UK would leave the EU as planned.
According to The Telegraph, the Prime Minister also denied that he would resign rather than call for an extension, saying that he would remain in office to deliver Brexit.
Meanwhile, several cabinet ministers have called on the Prime Minister to “come up with a plan B” to his Brexit strategy, according to The Times.
Their comments come after opposition parties agreed to block Mr Johnson’s second bid for a general election following cross-party talks on Friday.
The government is expected to table a fresh motion on Monday on whether there should be a snap election, after the Prime Minister’s initial attempt was blocked earlier this week.
The bill, which would have forced an election on October 15, was supported by only 298 MPs, well short of the 434 required for the bill to pass.
One senior government figure told The Times that the Prime Minister’s plan was in “tatters”.
They said: “Boris needs to make peace with the Tory rebels and get serious about making a deal with Brussels even if that means throwing the Spartans [hardline Brexiteers] under a bus.
“Dominic Cummings, Mr Johnson’s senior adviser, may be very clever but his plan has failed. We now need a plan B.”
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