Saturday was to have been the day. The British Parliament was supposed to have voted on Johnson's Brexit deal with the EU. It ended in an anticlimax. The deal was not put to the vote. Instead, an amendment set forth by Oliver Letwin was adopted. It stipulates that the legal framework for the UK's exit must first be settled. This must be done before Parliament can agree on a deal.
On the program
By accepting the amendment, Johnson decided not to put the deal to the vote in Parliament. Later that day, he asked the EU to officially postpone Brexit to 31 January 2020. He did so reluctantly and then also advised the EU not to do so. The EU has not yet reacted to the official request.
Johnson wants to bring the deal to the vote today anyway. He wants to get support for it. The opposition wants to put a stop to this. They can do so via the Chairman of Parliament. He can still veto the vote. In the meantime, the Labour party is seeking an approach with the DUP and the rebel Tories. They want to unite the opposition and, so, stop Johnson's deal.
Tomorrow, Parliament will vote on Boris Johnson's plan to push through the legal framework in the coming week. He wants to do this to still be able to close a deal with the EU before the 31 October deadline. It is unclear what turn the Brexit soap opera will take next. To be continued.
Source: The Guardian