Boris Johnson news – live: EU delays Brexit extension decision until next week, as Labour vows to scupper PM’s election bid

EU will make extension decision without summit

European Commission spokeswoman Mina Andreeva said the EU has “agreed to the principle of an extension and work will now continue in the coming days”.

She also says the intention is to make the decision “by written procedure” – meaning no emergency summit in Brussels.

Andreeva said there were still “too many unanswered questions” to full respond when asked about the UK proposing a new commissioner in the event of an extension.

Boris Johnson says ‘it’s up to Jeremy Corbyn’ to decide on election

The prime minister told reporters he is still waiting for a decision from the EU, adding: “It’s in their power now to decide whether or not to have an extension. What we have is a great deal on the table.

“It’s a deal that’s been approved by parliament, and what I’m saying is that it’s up to the opposition, it’s up to Jeremy Corbyn, to decide whether he wants to get this deal done or not.

“And we’re making it very, very clear, that we will, as the Chancellor rightly said this morning, we will give some extra time to get this thing done if, and only if the Labour party will agree to an election on December 12.

“And as far as I can see, at the moment, the Labour Party is split from top to bottom, and they can’t work out whether or not they’re in favour of an election, which is the thing they’re supposed to be campaigning for the last three-and-a-half years.”

One the apparent divisions in Labour, Johnson added: “They seem, unaccountably, to be split from top to bottom.

“You’ve got Momentum, the commies who back the Corbyn enterprise, saying … ‘bring it on’. And you’ve got loads of Labour MPs led by guys like Keir Starmer and Tom Watson who don’t want to see an election.

“Time for Jeremy Corbyn to man up and have an election on December the 12th.”

No 10 drops idea of legislative ‘strike’

Boris Johnson appears to have dropped threats to go “on strike” if he fails to trigger a pre-Christmas general election, after the move was widely ridiculed.

No 10 had threatened to abandon all legislation if Labour refuses to consent to a snap poll – saying “nothing will come before parliament but the bare minimum”.

Asked if the strike had been called off, Johnson’s spokesman insisted: “I don’t believe anyone has used that language.”

Our deputy political editor Rob Merrick has the details.

DWP urged to act on ‘alarming’ evidence women are turning to ‘survival sex’ to bridge universal credit gap

Ministers are being urged to take action after it emerged benefit claimants were turning to sex work as a means to survive due to the roll-out of universal credit (UC).

A number of women told the work and pensions committee early this year that they had been forced to turn to sex work to meet their basic survival needs, including money, food, shelter or even laundry.

When the issue was first raised in the House of Commons last October, the then-work and pensions secretary, Esther McVey, responded by saying that “these ladies” might be told that there were “record” numbers of job vacancies in the UK and “perhaps there are other jobs on offer”.

EU president Juncker says Boris Johnson lied during Brexit referendum

Jean-Claude Juncker has accused Boris Johnson of spreading “lies” during the Brexit referendum campaign, in his most strongly worded attack on the prime minister yet.

Speaking on Thursday evening the European Commission president said he “should have intervened” in the campaign to point out “bulls***” and falsehoods spread by “Boris Johnson and others”.

“They were saying things, some of them – lying. Telling the people things which have nothing to do with our day by day reality,” he told an audience at a think tank in Brussels.

French ‘Get Ready for Brexit’ campaign in Dutch-speaking area

Plenty of people online pointing out that this French ‘Get Ready for Brexit’ sign is in place in a Dutch-speaking area of Flanders.

Both Leavers and Remainers think political leaders should do ‘whatever in necessary’ for desired outcome

Both Remain and Leave supporters are willing to let MPs disrupt Britain’s unwritten constitution to get the Brexit outcome they want, a study has found.

Research by the University of Exeter found similar numbers of people who want to leave or remain would be in favour of doing “whatever is necessary” to achieve Britain staying in or leaving the EU.

Half of those who supported Brexit were asked if they agreed that: “Leavers in parliament should do whatever is necessary to make sure that UK leaves the EU on October 31.”

A total of 76 percent of Leave supporters agreed with that statement.

Half of Leave supporters were asked the same question with a clause stating “even if it breaks the conventions of our unwritten constitution” and 62 per cent agreed.

The survey followed the same procedure for Remain supporters, with half asked if “Remainers in Parliament should do whatever is necessary to stop a no-deal Brexit” – with 83 per cent agreeing.

Half were asked the same question with the clause stating “even if it breaks the conventions of our unwritten constitution” and 67 per cent agreed.

December election problems: short days, nativity plays and two electoral registers

There are concerns among about foul weather and short days keeping too many voters at home if there were to be a 12 December election – and plenty of talk of nativity plays having to be cancelled.

Laura Lock, deputy chief executive of the Association of Electoral Administrators, has outlined potential problems with a December 12 election including a lack of polling stations.

She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme earlier: “We have issues getting polling stations generally. There’s less and less public buildings available for people to use, but one of the key challenges that we have in December is that the polling stations already have bookings.”

Even more of a potential difficulty is the prospect of two different electoral registers being in use.

The electoral roll is updated annually on 1 December, meaning the new register would be in place in time to be used for a possible election.

However, polling cards for an early December election would need to be sent out in November, meaning one electoral register would be used for sending the cards and another used for the actual election.

Some in Tory party are also now worried that a winter flu crisis could thwart their “we love the NHS, actually” message if they do go to the polls before Christmas.

And as The Times points out today, there are some bad omens for the party. The last time a Tory PM went to the country in December, Stanley Baldwin lost his majority before having to quit the following month.

“Everyone who tries in politics to do the thing he believes in … is sure to come a smeller,” he said at the tail end of 1923.

A smeller! Surely a term ripe for being brought back into use.

Anyway, our correspondent Benjamin Kentish has had a look at some of more serious concerns about the electoral roll.

SNP wants 5 December election by vote of no confidence

Nicola Sturgeon has been quiet today. But nothing in the SNP happens without her say-so, and the party’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford has been making some very encouraging noises about a general election.

Blackford wants to get there via a vote of no confidence.

He said on BBC’s Politics Live: “What I want is for the opposition parties to come together with a vote in no confidence, to bring this government down and move to a quick election … we have to go to the polls as quickly as possibly before we get into that pre-Christmas period.”

When challenged that a successful vote of confidence would create a 14-day period in which the opposition would be invited to try to form a government, Blackford said: “Parliament could reach an agreement where what’s we’re doing is a vote of no confidence to call an immediate election.”

Tory MP Bernard Jenkin responded: “That’s completely outwidth the Fixed Terms Parliament Act – that could not happen. If there’s a no confidence vote there has to be a 14-day period of stasis when an alternative government might be formed, and if it’s not formed … the prime minister can name the date of an election.”

Blackford then claimed: “Parliament can legislate for what it likes if it’s willing to do so.”

Liz Truss’ photographer cost taxpayer almost £1,500, report claims

International trade secretary Liz Truss charged the taxpayer £1,483 to hire a professional photographer to take snaps during her recent tour of Australia, New Zealand and Japan, according to BuzzFeed News.

The publication obtained details of the amounts spent during the trip under the Freedom of Information Act and says they show taxpayers were also charged a further £1,190 for Truss’ “PR-related activities”.

Was it worth for wonderful shots like this?