Boris Johnson news: EU agrees Brexit deal as parliament clears way for second referendum vote

PM faces Commons battle to gain approval from MPs

Boris Johnson confirms Brexit deal is 'very good deal'

Boris Johnson has said he is “very confident” MPs will want to back his Brexit deal after UK and EU officials secured an agreement at a critical summit in Brussels.

But the prime minister’s DUP allies poured cold water on his hopes of progress by declaring they will oppose the plan – leaving Mr Johnson scrambling to find votes elsewhere.

The PM faces an uphill struggle to get his deal approved at an historic Commons sitting this Saturday.

MPs have won a key parliamentary vote paving the way for a bid to secure a second referendum on Saturday.

Senior Labour party figures, such as John McDonnell, have strongly criticised the agreement.

“The more people examine text of Johnson deal, the more you realise what a sell out deal it is,” Mr McDonnell said on Twitter.

“It’s not just the DUP, he’s sold out virtually every sector of our economy & all those who may have voted to leave believing a deal could be secured that protected their jobs.”

European leaders unanimously endorsed the proposal on Thursday and formally sent it to the British parliament.

“This is a great deal for our country. I also believe it’s a very good deal for our friends in the EU,” Mr Johnson told reporters in Brussels.

“There is a very good case for MPs across the House of Commons to express the democratic will of the people, as we have pledged many times to do and to get Brexit done.”

If you would like to see how the day’s events unfolded, please see what was our live coverage below:

[17 October 2019 20:45 · Zamira Rahim]

"On Saturday we will see another march, another protest. It’s easy to feel fatigue in this current political climate. Marches and protests, outrages and scandals seem to be ten a penny and society seems more polarised than ever," writes columnist Konnie Huq.

"In a 24/7 landscape of rolling news, social media, phone alerts and notifications it’s all too easy to feel numbed by all the shouting. I’m supposed to be a People’s Vote ambassador but even my tolerance is being tested. It has even, I hate to admit, brought on a definite sense of “bored by Brexit” in me.

"It is so tempting and in many ways so peaceful to just switch off. All too often the choicest response is to simply say “ignorance is bliss” or “I won’t make a difference” or “whatever will be will be”. Don’t fall for it."

Read her opinion piece here: 

[17 October 2019 21:00 · Zamira Rahim]

There is fury at the DUP tonight in Northern Ireland.

The party was accused of "dropping the ball" by their unionist rivals.

Ulster Unionist peer Lord Empey was critical of the DUP, accusing the party of "opening the door to a regulatory border in the Irish Sea".

"The lesson of this sorry state of affairs is that the Union is not safe in the DUP's hands; they have dropped the ball," he said.

"They have failed to ensure that the UK leaves the EU on time and have opened up a can of constitutional worms as well, because any future negotiations will use their proposed border in the Irish Sea concession as a starting point."

TUV leader Jim Allister claimed the deal places Northern Ireland in a "waiting room for a united Ireland".

"The inescapable reality is that a permanent regulatory and customs border cutting us off from GB puts us in a waiting room for Irish unity with the door locked from the outside," he said.

"Subject to EU Single Market and Customs Union rules, over which we have no control, and crippled by tariffs on GB trade, we are removed into the economic orbit of the Republic with the purpose of 'ever closer union' ensuring the union slowly bleeds to death."

[17 October 2019 21:15 · Zamira Rahim]

Sajid Javid, speaking from Washington, has said the PM's Brexit deal will allow the UK to build its own future but also maintain a solid relationship with the EU.

He claimed there was no need to have an economic impact assessment of the deal. Mr Javid added that it should be obvious to MPs that the best thing for the economy is to have an orderly exit from the EU.

The chancellor conceded that Saturday's vote was a big hurdle but that a deal will bring certainty to the UK economy. He added that there was a decent chance that the deal will pass parliament.

"It is self-evident that what we have achieved in terms of this deal is the right way forward for the economy, much better than any alternative," he said, on the sidelines of the IMF and World Bank autumn meetings.

"It is the right thing for that reason but also ... and this is such an important point, it is also the right thing for our democracy."

[17 October 2019 21:28 · Zamira Rahim]

Mark Field, the Conservative MP for the Cities of London and Westminster, has announced he will not stand in the next general election due to the "fractious and febrile" political atmosphere.

He was condemned by all sides of the House of Commons this summer after he was filmed manhandling a female environmental protester during an event at Mansion House.

Mr Field was suspended from his position at the FCO following the scandal.

The MP, who has held the seat since 2001, said he was proud of his reputation as a "moderate, consensual MP, invariably keen to work effectively across party lines to the benefit of constituents and communities alike".

He added: "However, such a pragmatic, co-operative approach to public service has been tested to destruction in the fractious, febrile and deeply divisive aftermath to the EU referendum in 2016.

"I had dearly hoped that by the time of the next general election these issues would have been resolved. However, it is increasingly clear that divisions over Brexit and our future relationship with the EU-27 will dominate and define domestic politics for many years to come."

[17 October 2019 21:45 · Zamira Rahim]

The European Parliament's chief Brexit official says the legislature will take its full time to examine and approve any deal with the UK.

Guy Verhofstadt said the process could last beyond 31 October, when the UK is currently scheduled to leave the UK.

He said MEPs will only begin scrutinising the deal once the UK's parliament has passed a fully binding Brexit deal.

Any EU-UK withdrawal deal needs the official backing of both the British and European parliaments.

Mr Verhofstadt said the parliament "will only start its work from the moment that we are 100% sure that the British Parliament will adopt this deal".

[17 October 2019 22:00 · Zamira Rahim]

According to the BBC, fewer than 10 Labour MPs will back the government's Brexit deal on Saturday.

With the DUP also refusing to support the deal and the status of some Conservative rebels unclear, it appears the prime minister has an uphill battle to fight this weekend.

[17 October 2019 22:10 · Zamira Rahim]

The SNP has tabled an amendment to Boris Johnson's Brexit deal demanding an immediate extension to the 31 October deadline and a general election.

The SNP's Parliamentary leader Ian Blackford said opposition parties need to "quit dithering, back our amendment, and finally act to bring this appalling Tory government down and stop Brexit".

"Boris Johnson's appalling Brexit deal is even worse than Theresa May's," he said.

"It would be devastating for Scotland - dragging us out of the EU, single market and customs union against our will, and singling Scotland out, alone of UK nations, for a raw deal, with our votes and voice ignored.

"The SNP will never vote for this deal, which would inflict lasting harm on jobs, living standards, public services and the economy.

"It is clearer than ever that the best future for Scotland is as an equal, independent European nation and the people of Scotland must be given that choice."

[17 October 2019 22:15 · Zamira Rahim]

"European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has insisted that there can be no further delay to Brexit, as Boris Johnson urged MPs to “come together” behind the deal the pair agreed to take the UK out of the EU at the end of this month," report Jon Stone and Andrew Woodcock from Brussels.

"The comment appeared designed to put pressure on MPs not to vote down the new withdrawal agreement and demand a second referendum in an emergency sitting of the Commons on Saturday.

"Despite immediate announcements from Labour and his DUP allies that they would not back the deal, the prime minister claimed to be “very confident” of securing victory in what is certain to be a razor-edge vote."

Read more online: 

[17 October 2019 22:25 · Zamira Rahim]

A group of cross-party MPs have signed a letter to Chancellor Sajid Javid asking for him to release economic impact assessments for Boris Johnson's proposed Brexit deal ahead of Saturday's vote.

The letter, which includes signatures from former Conservatives Dominic Grieve and David Gauke, and Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson, was written by Plaid Cymru MP Liz Saville Roberts.

It references impact assessments published by the Government in November 2018 which "showed a significant negative impact on the UK economy in all scenarios".

"I am sure you would not wish to deprive Parliament, as representatives of the people of the UK, less information than that provided by previous governments," it reads.

"Of course, if you are confident in your deal, you will have nothing to conceal from either parliament or the public."

[17 October 2019 22:30 · Zamira Rahim]

Meanwhile news that the EU and UK had agreed on a deal sent the pound to a five year high on Thursday and sent European stocks to a year and a half peak - before doubts about parliament's support brought prices down again.

Sterling, the key gauge of Brexit sentiment all along, jumped as much as a one per cent against the dollar, putting it on course for its best six-day gain in more than 30 years before the doubts and grumbles set in.

But market optimism faltered when the DUP said it could not support the agreement, torpedoing hopes of a smooth passage through parliament.