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 22:40 · Zamira Rahim]

"This new deal with the EU raises many issues, but here’s one that some people have overlooked," argues columnist Mark Steel. 

"If Boris Johnson’s ex-wife wants to finally get proper maintenance for their kids, she should become a DUP MP, she’d be given a billion quid by Tuesday.

"It makes sense at the next election for us all to vote DUP. Then in areas such as Epsom, the mayor could announce “this year, instead of a parade led by the Women’s Institute, we’re going to hold an Orange march through the kitchen of Mr O’Reilly who we think is Catholic”, and they’d receive £50m every time they threatened to vote against the government.

"These are the tactics we must hope secure approval for Boris Johnson’s deal. It’s so important it’s passed, that you can understand him saying, “Right, here’s the deal, there’s no point in dragging things out by looking at it, there are quite a lot of numbers in there and they always hold things up.”

Read more here: 

[17 October 2019 22:45 · Zamira Rahim]

Boris Johnson has had quite the dinner to celebrate tonight.

The prime minister dined with EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday following days of intense Brexit negotiations.

 The group started with scallops and pumpkin mousse, followed by sauerkraut soup, roast veal and figs in puff pastry for dessert.

[17 October 2019 23:00 · Zamira Rahim]

Unsurprisingly the shadow chancellor sounds distinctly unimpressed with the deal.

"The more people examine text of Johnson deal, the more you realise what a sell out deal it is," John 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."

[17 October 2019 23:10 · Zamira Rahim]

The Women's Equality Party is celebrating Mark Field's announcement.

Members of the party had pushed for Mr Field to be deselected.

"We will stand against all MPs who commit violence against women until it ends. One down, four to go!" a spokesperson for the party said on Twitter.

[17 October 2019 23:20 · Zamira Rahim]

"On 6 May 1954, a young medical doctor called Roger Bannister ran four full laps of the Iffley Road track in Oxford in less time than it took for Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal to die," argues sketch writer Tom Peck.

"It is hard to say which is the greater achievement. The four-minute mile or the four-minute failure. Both, in their way, pushed back the boundary of the possible. The world knew Bannister was good, but not that good. The world knows Boris Johnson is hopeless, but this bad?

"First thing Thursday morning, the deal was off. The Democratic Unionist Party had refused to sign up to it. There was no way it was getting through the House of Commons. That’s it. The end."

Read more here: 

[17 October 2019 23:30 · Zamira Rahim]

"The Jean-Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk double act will be familiar to anyone who has been following Brexit closely. The two leaders have a good-cop/bad-cop routine, and on Thursday night it was in full swing," writes The Independent's Brussels correspondent Jon Stone.

"Taking to the stage fresh from signing a new deal they had always said they would never sign, the pair of leaders were asked what their message for the 48 per cent of the British public who voted remain was.

"Donald Tusk's reply was almost wistful: "I regret that it was only 48 not 52," he sighed.

"Jean-Claude Juncker, a grin on his face and just couple of weeks left in the job, had no intention of being diplomatic: "I would like to say to the 48 that they were right."

Read his remarkable piece from the heart of the action here: 

[17 October 2019 23:45 · Zamira Rahim]

"Boris Johnson's deal would lead to a harder Brexit than under the terms of Theresa May's rejected agreement, with less alignment between the UK and the EU and more barriers to trade, according to new analysis," reports Benjamin Kentish.

"The agreement struck by the EU and UK on Thursday also risks weakening workers' rights and environmental protections, according to the IPPR think-tank.

"Researchers warned that the deal could lead to a "decade of deregulation" and would leave the NHS "on the table" during discussions with the US over a trade deal. This should "terrify" all but the most ardent Brexiteers, they said."

Read his piece here: