Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Americans Celebrate Their Independence With Record-Breaking Travel Numbers

2 hours ago

US House Republicans Head Toward Final Vote on Trump’s Sweeping Tax-Cut Bill

3 hours ago

US Supreme Court to Decide Legality of Transgender School Sports Bans

3 hours ago

Nvidia Set to Become the World’s Most Valuable Company in History

3 hours ago

Poll: 41% in US ‘Extremely Proud’ to Be American, Near Historic Low

3 hours ago

Trump Vowed to Dismantle MS-13. His Deal With Bukele Threatens That Effort.

1 day ago

Ukraine Voices Concern as US Halts Some Missile Shipments

1 day ago

What’s Next for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs After His Sex Trafficking Trial?

1 day ago
Johnson Urges Support for Brexit Deal Before Knife-Edge Vote
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
October 18, 2019

Share

LONDON — Boris Johnson worked behind the scenes Friday to win enough support to push his new Brexit deal through the fractious British Parliament and pave the way for Britain — finally — to leave the European Union in two weeks.

“I want colleagues on all sides of the House to think about a world tomorrow night in which we’ve got this thing done and we’ve got it over the line. Because I think the nation will heave a great sigh of relief because that will be our moment to get on with the priorities of our country.” — Prime Minister Boris Johnson
His message to allies and opponents alike: Approve the agreement so Britain can finally put the tortuous, three-year Brexit saga behind it.
Johnson returned overnight from the EU summit in Brussels where he sealed the divorce deal and began a busy day of meetings and phone calls as he attempted to persuade lawmakers to ratify the pact at a rare Saturday sitting of Parliament. He met Friday with his Cabinet ahead of what’s expected to be a knife-edge House of Commons vote on what was being billed by an excited media as Super Saturday.
“I want colleagues on all sides of the House to think about a world tomorrow night in which we’ve got this thing done and we’ve got it over the line,” he told British broadcaster ITV. “Because I think the nation will heave a great sigh of relief because that will be our moment to get on with the priorities of our country.”
Johnson’s Conservative Party holds only 288 seats in the 650-seat House of Commons, so he will have to rely on support from other parties and independent lawmakers to get over the line.
The vote appeared to be tight, and it could yet be disrupted. While the vote will mark a defining moment, the Brexit saga may have more twists in store .
Many lawmakers want to rule out the possibility that Britain could crash out of the bloc without a deal on the Oct. 31 deadline — a prospect economists say would disrupt trade and plunge the economy into recession. A proposed amendment to Saturday’s vote would withhold approval of the deal until all the necessary legislation to implement it has passed.

It’s Not Certain the Amendment Will Be Selected for a Vote

One of the lawmakers behind the measure, Oliver Letwin, said it would prevent the U.K. from leaving at the end of the month “by mistake if something goes wrong during the passage of the implementing legislation.”
It’s not certain the amendment will be selected for a vote, or whether it will pass if it is.
Parliament has also passed a law compelling the government to ask the EU for a three-month delay to Brexit if a deal is not approved on Saturday.
European Union leaders, who unanimously approved the deal at a meeting in Brussels on Thursday, applied pressure to lawmakers by suggesting there is no guarantee they would grant another delay if the latest deal is rejected.
“I want us to finish this off and speak about the future,” French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday at an EU summit in Brussels. “The Oct. 31 date must be respected. I don’t believe new delays should be granted.”
Johnson’s hopes of getting the deal through Parliament were dealt a blow when his Northern Ireland ally, the Democratic Unionist Party, said it would not back him.
The DUP’s Brexit spokesman, Sammy Wilson, said Johnson’s Brexit package — which carves out special status for Northern Ireland to keep an open border with EU member Ireland — is bad for his region and its bonds with the rest of the U.K.
“I can give you absolute assurance we will not be voting for this deal when it comes before the Commons tomorrow,” he told the BBC.
[activecampaign form=29]  

Labour Leaders Have Told Party Lawmakers to Oppose the Deal

While the DUP is resolutely opposed to the deal, opinion is divided in Northern Ireland.
In a sawmill in the town of Enniskillen, the home constituency of DUP leader Arlene Foster, CEO Brian Murphy voted to stay in the European Union in the 2016 Brexit referendum.
His company buys logs from sustainably managed forest with 60% of them coming from the Republic of Ireland. The uncertainty of Brexit for the past three years has caused grave concern that is now starting to lift.
“The overwhelming emotion was one of relief,” Murphy said of the new deal, which would prevent border formalities for his company’s trucks, which pass between Ireland and Northern Ireland 23,000 times a year.
“Imagine asking a lumberjack to fill out eight different forms by the side of our truck in the forest in the middle of the winter as horizontal rain hits you in the face,” he said.
The deal’s fate could largely rest on a group of 21 Conservative lawmakers expelled from the party’s group in Parliament earlier this year for voting against the government, and on members from the main opposition Labour Party, which has 244 lawmakers.
Nicholas Soames, one of the 21 and the grandson of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill, said he would vote for the deal, and he thought most of his expelled colleagues would “by and large vote for it.”
Labour leaders have told party lawmakers to oppose the deal. But around 20 of them, mainly representing pro-Brexit parts of the country, have previously indicated a desire to back a deal to honor the referendum result.

It’s a Complex Situation and Not Even Expert Analysts Can Gauge the Exact Numbers

Labour lawmaker John Mann said Friday that he thought at least 10 party legislators would support the government’s deal.

“There seems to be an indication that it will be very, very close. It will come down to one, two or five people. I have no idea what that will look like.” — Joelle Grogan, a senior lecturer in U.K. and EU law at Middlesex University
While a majority of Parliament supports leaving the EU, in keeping with voters’ decision, members are split on the terms. Labour lawmakers worry that the Johnson deal’s vision of a loose post-Brexit economic relationship with the EU could endanger workplace and environmental protections that Britain gained as a member of the bloc.
It’s a complex situation and not even expert analysts can gauge the exact numbers.
“There seems to be an indication that it will be very, very close. It will come down to one, two or five people,” said Joelle Grogan, a senior lecturer in U.K. and EU law at Middlesex University. With the vote only 24 hours away, “I have no idea what that will look like.”
If the deal is rejected — as happened three times with an earlier agreement presented by Johnson’s predecessor, Theresa May — Brexit uncertainty will continue a while longer. Johnson has said he won’t do that, but also that he will obey the law, an apparent contradiction.
Conservative lawmaker John Baron acknowledged the vote would be tight but said Johnson was on a roll.
“The momentum is with the prime minister, and momentum at a time like this is important,” he said.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

House Republicans Say They Expect to Vote Tonight on Trump’s Tax-Cut Bill

DON'T MISS

San Luis Obispo’s Madre Fire Grows to 8,300 Acres, Prompts Evacuations

DON'T MISS

SLO Deputies Fatally Shoot Man in Los Osos Weeks After US Marshal Impersonation Arrest

DON'T MISS

Madera County Deputy Injured, Wanted Felon Arrested After Violent Struggle

DON'T MISS

San Luis Obispo County Wildfire Burns More Than 3,000 Acres. No Containment Yet

DON'T MISS

Wired Wednesday: Why Is State Lawmaker Taking Aim at Rooftop Solar?

DON'T MISS

Two Visalia Men Sentenced in 2021 Motel Killing

DON'T MISS

Ex-Jan. 6 Defendant Gets Life in Prison for Plot to Kill FBI Agents

DON'T MISS

Del Monte Files for Bankruptcy. Gets Nearly $1B to Keep Producing Through Process

DON'T MISS

Who is Running for Fresno Area Offices in 2026? An Updated Look

UP NEXT

From Victims to Perpetrators: Israeli Soldiers’ Nazi Comparisons and the Unfolding War Crimes in Gaza

UP NEXT

Iran Enacts Law Suspending Cooperation With UN Nuclear Watchdog

UP NEXT

Ukraine Voices Concern as US Halts Some Missile Shipments

UP NEXT

Poll: Most Americans Say National Divide, Political Violence Threaten Democracy

UP NEXT

Dalai Lama Says He Will Be Reincarnated, Trust Will Identify Successor

UP NEXT

Hamas Says It Is Studying Ceasefire Proposal Labeled ‘Final’ by Trump

UP NEXT

Trump Pulls Back 150 Guard Troops From Federal Duties in California

UP NEXT

Trump Says Israel Has Agreed to Conditions to Finalize 60-Day Gaza Ceasefire

UP NEXT

Iran Made Preparations to Mine the Strait of Hormuz, US Sources Say

UP NEXT

Trump Says US Could Reach Trade Deal With India, Casts Doubt on Deal With Japan

Trump Administration Will Focus on Fed Chair Replacement in Fall, Bessent Says

2 hours ago

Americans Celebrate Their Independence With Record-Breaking Travel Numbers

2 hours ago

US Paves Way to Resume Ethane Exports to China Amid Trade Truce

2 hours ago

US Supreme Court Won’t Consider Reviving Montana Abortion Parental Consent Law

2 hours ago

US Imposes New Sanctions Targeting Iran Oil Trade, Hezbollah, Treasury Dept Says

3 hours ago

Keep Pets Safe on 4th of July: Fresno County Animal Shelter Offers Tips

3 hours ago

US House Republicans Head Toward Final Vote on Trump’s Sweeping Tax-Cut Bill

3 hours ago

US Supreme Court to Decide Legality of Transgender School Sports Bans

3 hours ago

Supreme Court’s Conservatives Leaned Into US Culture Wars With Transgender Cases

3 hours ago

San Luis Obispo’s Madre Fire Grows to 35,000 Acres, More Evacuations Ordered

3 hours ago

Could Cuddly Colby Be the Darling Gem for You?

From his super soft topaz-and-ivory coat to his easy and affectionate personality, sweet 1-year-old Colby is a tabby-man classic! He’s never...

23 minutes ago

Colby, a classic tabby, is GV Wire's Adoptable Pet of the Week, July 3, 2025
23 minutes ago

Could Cuddly Colby Be the Darling Gem for You?

Sandra Neredia Jaquez is Valley Crime Stoppers' Most Wanted Person of the Day for July 3, 2025. (Valley Crimes Stoppers)
28 minutes ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Sandra Neredia Jaquez

53 minutes ago

Trump Impounds Billions in Education Funding. For Fresno Unified, It’s $7.1 Million

U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent speaks during a press conference following a weekly policy luncheon on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 24, 2025. (Reuters)
2 hours ago

Trump Administration Will Focus on Fed Chair Replacement in Fall, Bessent Says

2 hours ago

Americans Celebrate Their Independence With Record-Breaking Travel Numbers

U.S. and Chinese flags are seen in this illustration taken March 20, 2025. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

US Paves Way to Resume Ethane Exports to China Amid Trade Truce

A general view of the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, U.S., June 1, 2024. (Reuters File)
2 hours ago

US Supreme Court Won’t Consider Reviving Montana Abortion Parental Consent Law

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks to reporters at the U.S. Capitol as Republican lawmakers struggle to pass U.S. President Donald Trump?s sweeping spending and tax bill, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 27, 2025. (Reuters File)
3 hours ago

US Imposes New Sanctions Targeting Iran Oil Trade, Hezbollah, Treasury Dept Says

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend