EU to delay Brexit extension decision

The EU27 will delay a decision on whether to grant the UK another Brexit extension because of the ongoing debate over Boris Johnson’s election demand.

Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, said today’s two-hour meeting of ambassadors in Brussels had not resulted in a clear way forward. There was “no decision” on whether to grant the extension, he said.

European sources said that developments in Westminster needed to be fully understood for the bloc to make up its mind, says The Guardian.

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Most EU states are in favour of approving a three-month Brexit extension, but France is said to be the stumbling block.

The French government wants to see the outcome of the Commons vote on a potential December general election before making any decision.–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For more political analysis - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Get your first six issues free–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

France’s EU minister, Amelie de Montchalin, told RTL radio: “Our position is that simply giving more time – without political change, without ratification, without an election – would be useless.

“If there’s a clear scenario that will change things, for example a ratification or elections – not just suggested but organised – then we can take decisions,” she said.

Johnson has pledged to give MPs more time to scrutinise his Brexit deal if they back his calls for a 12 December election.

The Government is planning to put its plans for an early general election to a House of Commons vote on Monday, if the EU offers a three-month Brexit delay.

But the chances of MPs backing the motion - which under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act requires the support of two-thirds of MPs - appear slim, with Labour refusing to commit to an election until no-deal is “off the table”.

This means the extension question is something of a stalemate. The UK Government is waiting to see if the EU will grant an extension before it commits to a general election, while the EU is delaying its decision on whether to grant an extension until it knows if there will be an election.

The talks in Brussels came after Chancellor Sajid Javid admitted that the Government had to “accept we won’t be able to leave on 31 October”, despite that being the key pledge of Johnson’s campaign to become prime minister, says the BBC.