Boris Johnson news – live: EU delays Brexit extension decision until next week, as Labour vows to scupper PM’s election bid
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Your support makes all the difference.EU ambassadors failed to reach agreement on a further Brexit extension at a meeting on Friday morning, postponing their decision in a move that could have a bearing on whether Boris Johnson gets his pre-Christmas general election.
The prime minister challenged MPs to back his call for a December 12 vote in return for more time to scrutinise his Brexit deal. Mr Johnson will need Labour votes if he is to win the two-thirds of MPs required to get an election under the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act (FTPA).
Jeremy Corbyn said he would only agree to an election once Mr Johnson takes a no-deal Brexit “off the table” – and suggested the PM could do that within “a couple of days”. Mr Johnson said it would be “morally incredible” for Labour to refuse an election.
Tony Blair agrees with Nigel Farage that best way to break away from EU is to leave without deal
Former Labour prime minister Tony Blair says he agrees with Nigel Farage that the only way Leave campaigners can get the Brexit they want is to exit the European Union without a deal.
Brexit Party leader Mr Farage wants what he dubs a "clean break" from Europe in order to pursue a future outside of interference from Brussels.
In a pre-recorded interview, due to air on talkRADIO on Sunday, Mr Blair said: "Bizarrely, though I profoundly disagree with him on whether Brexit is a good idea, Nigel Farage has actually produced one of the better analyses of what the problem is with Boris Johnson's deal.
Tony Blair (Aaron Chown/PA)
"The problem in the end is if you really want to diverge on tax and regulation and go your own way on issues to do with trade, if you really want that the only way you're going to get that is by doing no-deal.
"If you do a deal with Europe they're going to bolt you down as we've just seen in relation to Northern Ireland."
PA
Arlene Foster says the DUP has no regrets about backing Brexit – but that the Union always comes first.
Speaking ahead of the DUP’s annual conference in Belfast this weekend, the party leader accused Boris Johnson of “walking away” from the commitment he pledged at the same event last year that he would never create economic borders in the Irish Sea.
However she rejected the suggestion that the DUP had been naive to take his pledge at face value.
She said: "I think it's for him to reflect on his words because we are not the people who have changed our position, it's him who has changed his position.”
Ms Foster said her party had yet to decide whether to back the prime minister's call for a general election – but expressed concern at whether his proposed timeline would give enough time to scrutinise his Brexit deal in parliament.
The party leader also told Sky News that the DUP does believe in leaving the EU “for a variety of reasons, not least the sovereignty reason” – but admitted that “we also believe in the Union, and it’s always the Union first”.
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