‘Titanic Tuesday’: Boris Johnson’s big Brexit push

Boris Johnson will today make what is likely to be his final bid to get the UK out of the EU by the 31 October deadline.

The House of Commons will vote on whether to back his Withdrawal Agreement Bill, which was published last night. If MPs approve the bill, they will then be asked to agree an intensive three-day timetable in which to consider the legislation.

After many dubbed last weekend’s pivotal day in the Commons as “Super Saturday,” the Daily Mail describes today as “Titanic Tuesday”.

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The PM is expected to secure a small majority during the second reading of the bill, signalling MPs’ approval for it to proceed in principle, but the motion setting out the timetable is forecast to fail.

Many opposition MPs have objected to the proposed timetable, which “means that MPs would have less than 24 hours over three days to scrutinise the complex legislation”, says The Times. Labour’s shadow Brexit secretary, Sir Keir Starmer, said it was “outrageous to deny parliament the chance to scrutinise this incredibly important legislation properly”.

Johnson has said he will abandon the bill altogether if the fast-tracked timetable is not agreed and instead push for a general election. The threat was described as “childish blackmail” by opposition MPs.

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Delays may follow even if the timetable motion is passed, as MPs try to amend the legislation. Labour has thrown its backing behind plans to push for a customs union and a second referendum.

Given that Johnson’s government opposed both, he is likely to again push for a general election rather than accept either amendment.

He has repeatedly vowed to take Britain out of the EU, “do or die”, by 31 October.

Today, he told MPs: “I will in no way allow months more of this. If Parliament refuses to allow Brexit to happen and instead... decides to delay everything until January or possibly longer in no circumstances then the Government [cannot] continue with this.

“And with great regret I must say that the Bill will have to be pulled and we will have to go forward to a general election and I will argue at that election let’s get Brexit done.”