Boris Johnson news: EU agrees Brexit deal as parliament clears way for second referendum vote
PM faces Commons battle to gain approval from MPs
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Your support makes all the difference.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:
Emmanuel Macron ‘cautious’ on deal’s chances of success
French president Emmanuel Macron has welcomed the new Brexit deal but warned that the agreement still faces major hurdles in both the UK and EU parliaments.
Speaking after the deal was announced, Macron told reporters that "based on past experience we have to be reasonably cautious".
He noted that a deal can only be secured if both the British and European parliaments back the agreement.
The president of the EU parliament is expected to signal later whether there is enough time for the assembly to give its green light before the Brexit deadline of 31 October.
Macron said the deal “allows us to respond to the political and technical concerns that both we and the British share”.
Jean-Claude Juncker tells UK ‘have a good time’
If you missed it, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker signed off his joint appearance alongside Boris Johnson on a melancholy note
He said: “I have to say I’m happy about the deal, but I’m sad about Brexit – have a good time.”
Jean-Claude Juncker doesn’t want ‘prolongation’
European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has had more to say to reporters. Asked if he believed the deal would be approved by parliament, he said: “I hope it will, I’m convinced it will. It has to,” he replied.
He angrily shouted “I’M SPEAKING!” at one reporter after saying he did not want “prolongation”.
Asked again if he was ruling out any extension, he said: “We have a deal … so why should we have a prolongation?”
Asked what happens if MPs vote against the deal on Saturday, he said: “I’m not in charge of Westminster.”
Johnson will love that remark about prolongation. But Juncker doesn’t appear to be ruling out an extension altogether – and if the deal is rejected in the Commons his rhetoric could easily shift.
One EU official told Sky News’ Lewis Goodall: “It’s not in his gift to rule it out, he is just defending the deal and saying one shouldn't be needed
“I am 100 per cent certain EU27 would permit an extension if deal falls on Saturday.”
Jean-Claude Juncker speaks out against further delay
Our Europe correspondent Jon Stone has more on those remarks by Jean-Claude Juncker against further “prolongation”.
“We have concluded a deal and so there is not an argument for further delay. It has to be done now,” said the European Commission president.
All the details here.
Has the backstop really gone?
Now that people have had the chance to take a good look through the Brexit agreement, some are pointing out that rather than getting rid of the backstop – as No 10 is claiming – the deal essentially enshrines a different version of it.
Jonathan Powell, Tony Blair’s former chief of staff and his chief negotiator on the Good Friday Agreement, says Boris Johnson’s government has “transformed it from a fall-back into the definitive future arrangement”.
The influential Irish columnist Fintan O’Toole says the “safety net is to become the status quo”.
Nigel Farage unexpectedly speaks in favour of the Benn Act - to delay Brexit to prevent no-deal - as he attacks EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker
Diane Abbott condemns Brexit deal ahead of major demonstration
The march for a Final Say will be huge because Brexit is the biggest political issue we’ve ever faced, writes Labour frontbencher Diane Abbott.
The shadow home secretary says the Brexit in front of us is one that will ‘make America great again’ – with all the lower safety and food standards and environmental protections, the accelerated privatisation of our public services and the Americanisation of our workforce that entails
Read her column here:
Stella Creasy accuses the government of using abortion rights as a "bargaining chip"
The Labour MP claimed ministers had launched a new bid to override a law legalising abortion in Northern Ireland as part of their efforts to convince Arlene Foster's DUP to support the Brexit agreement.
The UK and EU agreed a deal on Thursday but the DUP announced within minutes that it could not support the plan.
Hardline Brexiteers signal support for the PM's Brexit deal
European Research Group chairman Steve Baker tweeted: "MPs have asked me to say here what Mark Francois and I said in the briefing on the deal:
"- If - we vote for this agreement, after dealing with limited remaining concerns, we will also see through the implementing legislation to completion. Provided it is not adversely amended."
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