Michael Gove says 31 October Brexit deadline is ‘arbitrary’
Tory leadership hopeful says he would consider short delay if deal was close
Tory leadership contender Michael Gove regards the UK’s 31 October Brexit deadline as “arbitrary” and says he is “not wedded” to it.
The environment secretary told a hustings event that Britain must not be bound by a “fixed” date if more time is needed to get a deal, but insisted any further delay would be a matter of weeks, not months.
Writing in the Daily Mail, Gove repeated the point, saying he would be willing to sanction a short delay to allow “a little extra time” if a deal is close.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Daily Express says Gove’s remarks “sparked fury”, while PoliticsHome notes that his position is “in marked contrast” to a number of his leadership opponents.
“In comments that will infuriate rivals Boris Johnson and Dominic Raab he said those ready to default to a No Deal to get out of the EU by the end of October didn’t appear to ‘believe in this country’,” says The Sun, which warns of a “Tory civil war”.
The BBC’s Chris Mason agrees that his comment “marks the opening up of a clear dividing line in this race” and says his critics “will see it as him going soft”.
Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith was quickly out of the traps to condemn Gove’s position, saying: “The salvation of the Conservative Party lies in getting out on October 31st. It seems he no longer cares about Brexiteers and is playing to another gallery.”
Meanwhile, another Downing Street hopeful, Matt Hancock, has described Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn as an anti-Semite. In inflammatory remarks, the health secretary said that if Corbyn became prime minister, the UK “could end up with the first anti-Semitic leader of a Western nation since the Second World War”.
Labour called it a “baseless political attack”. A party source said Hancock’s words “ring hollow from a minister in a party that has supported governments that actively promote anti-Semitic policies in Hungary and Poland and has spent the week wooing Trump, the man who refused to condemn neo-fascists in Charlottesville who chanted ‘Jews will not replace us’”.
In other developments in the leadership race, former Brexit secretary Raab has refused to rule out working with Nigel Farage or proroguing parliament to stop MPs blocking a no-deal Brexit, while Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has rejected comparisons between himself and the current prime minister, saying: “I am not Theresa in trousers.”
Eleven candidates are battling to succeed May as Tory leader and prime minister. The winner of the contest will be announced at the end of July.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
When will mortgage rates finally start coming down?
The Explainer Much to potential homebuyers' chagrin, mortgage rates are still elevated
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
Women are getting their own baseball league again
In the Spotlight The league is on track to debut in 2026
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Giant TVs are becoming the next big retail commodity
Under the Radar Some manufacturers are introducing TVs over 8 feet long
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Last hopes for justice for UK's nuclear test veterans
Under the Radar Thousands of ex-service personnel say their lives have been blighted by aggressive cancers and genetic mutations
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will Donald Trump wreck the Brexit deal?
Today's Big Question President-elect's victory could help UK's reset with the EU, but a free-trade agreement with the US to dodge his threatened tariffs could hinder it
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
What is the next Tory leader up against?
Today's Big Question Kemi Badenoch or Robert Jenrick will have to unify warring factions and win back disillusioned voters – without alienating the centre ground
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
What is Lammy hoping to achieve in China?
Today's Big Question Foreign secretary heads to Beijing as Labour seeks cooperation on global challenges and courts opportunities for trade and investment
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is Britain about to 'boil over'?
Today's Big Question A message shared across far-right groups listed more than 30 potential targets for violence in the UK today
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
UK's Starmer slams 'far-right thuggery' at riots
Speed Read The anti-immigrant violence was spurred by false rumors that the suspect in the Southport knife attack was an immigrant
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The Tamils stranded on 'secretive' British island in Indian Ocean
Under the Radar Migrants 'unlawfully detained' since 2021 shipwreck on UK-controlled Diego Garcia, site of important US military base
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published