Boris Johnson says Brexit deal will require movement from EU as he 'bottles' noisy press conference
Boris Johnson was accused of bottling a Brexit press conference today after failing to appear at a joint statement with Luxembourg's prime minister due to noisy protests. In a pointed gesture, Xavier Bettel delivered the press conference by himself with an empty podium where Mr Johnson was scheduled to have joined him. The British Prime Minister had earlier been booed by crowds as he walked up to meet Mr Bettel with a handshake before heading into the Ministry of State in Luxembourg City for discussions. Demonstrators screamed “Stop the coup, tell the truth” and “Bog off Boris”.
Meanwhile, Mr Bettel, speaking next to an empty podium at his now solo press conference, said the “clock is ticking” and told Mr Johnson: “Stop speaking and act.”
Asked about Mr Johnson’s openness to breaking the law to deliver Brexit, he added that such a move from the government “wouldn’t happen in Luxembourg”.
“That’s why I thought it was important to speak to Prime Minister Johnson to get proposals. “We need more than just words.” There needed to be a legally operational text to work on “as soon as possible” if the October deadline was to be met, he added.
A single image dominates most front pages - the photo of Luxembourg's Prime Minister, Xavier Bettel, gesturing to the empty podium left by Boris Johnson's decision to pull out of a joint news conference during his visit on Monday. "Johnson left humiliated as Brexit visit ends in chaos" is the Guardian's view as it reports that the PM was mocked for avoiding protesters. The Financial Times captions the photo: "invisible man", while, online, the choice for the Independent is: "gone missing". The Luxembourg Times is also scathing of its British visitor - the headline: "Noisy protest mutes Johnson". It suggests that the UK prime minister "ducked out" of the event rather than face a hostile crowd ready to boo and jeer him.
But there is sympathy for the prime minister in some coverage. "Le Stitch Up" is the headline in the Daily Mail as it reports that "a baying anti-Brexit crowd" forced Boris Johnson to duck the planned press conference. "Luxembourg laughs in Johnson's face" is the caption accompanying the front page photo in the Daily Telegraph, which describes the post-visit briefing as "an EU ambush". The Sun keeps its verdict on what it calls a "feeble stunt" to mock the PM brief - with the headline "Luxemberk". A "stage-managed anti-Brexit rant by the leader of a tiny tax haven" is the view of the Daily Express. Its conclusion: "No wonder Britain voted to quit the EU."
Brexit: Tory minister refuses to rule out Boris Johnson shutting down parliament a second time and casts doubt on Queen's Speech
The justice secretary has refused to rule out Boris Johnson shutting down parliament a second time and suggested the Queen’s Speech may not go ahead next month. Robert Buckland said the opening of the new parliamentary session – announced for 14 October, the day MPs finally return to Westminster – would take place “if we are able to”. And, asked if it was “remotely conceivable” that a second prorogation would be ordered – if the Supreme Court forces a recall of parliament – said the political situation was simply too volatile to make predictions.
“For me to sit here and imagine what might happen at end of October, I think, is idle,” Mr Buckland said. “What I do know is that, if we are able to, we will have a Queen’s Speech in mid-October.”
When Dominic Cummings, last week, floated the possibility of a second suspension, if the Supreme Court rules the first was illegal, the comment was dismissed by Downing Street as “a joke”. But Mr Buckland, and the prime minister himself in a separate interview, suggested it is among the options being considered if the highest court in the land rules against the government. Both also refused to commit to recalling parliament if the Supreme Court battle is lost, the justice secretary saying he would await “the precise wording of any judgement”.
Labour condemned the idea that the government might “ignore a court judgement and prorogue parliament all over again”. “Any normal prime minister, faced with a ruling of that kind, would immediately go back to the Queen and ask for parliament to be recalled, said Shami Chakrabarti, the shadow attorney general. “This is pretty scary stuff that is testing our constitution and our normal British sense of fair play to the limit.”
No-deal Brexit: Tens of thousands of lorries with ‘wrong paperwork’ to be turned away at ports, secret government documents reveal
Ministers have “fiddled the figures” to disguise the true level of chaos at British ports from a no-deal Brexit, it has been alleged. The government’s Operation Yellowhammer dossier – only released after a parliamentary battle – predicted a “low risk of significant sustained queues” at ports other than in Kent. But new documents have revealed this would only be the case because tens of thousands of vehicles would be turned away before they reached the coast, for not having the correct paperwork. In Liverpool, Holyhead and Portsmouth about two-thirds of vehicles would not be allowed into the port, the Department for Transport (DfT) papers, stamped “official sensitive”, show.
“One hundred per cent of non-compliant vehicles will be turned away, which means the resulting flow rate is 29 per cent at Holyhead, Heysham and Liverpool, and 32 per cent at Portsmouth,” one states. Meanwhile, at Dover, the busiest port for traffic to and from the EU, the queues could reach a peak of 8,500 vehicles, according to one of the documents seen by the FT. It calculated that, given the typical 16.5m length of an articulated lorry, the tailbacks outside Dover could stretch to about 150km.
EU citizens feel ‘safer’ in Scotland than in England, finds report
“But they also feel at home in Scotland, more than elsewhere in the UK. “They feel valued for their contribution. More importantly, they feel they can belong to the Scottish Nation because this is not in opposition with being also French, Italian, Polish and European.” Most interviewees in Scotland acknowledged that the atmosphere in Scotland during the EU referendum campaign and in itsaftermath was not or less hostile towards them in comparison to what they heard or experienced in England. As well as Ms Sturgeon’s words of support, the victory of the Remain side in Scotland was also taken as evidence of the majority of the Scots population being pro-European.
Many of the morning papers dedicate their front pages to the Supreme Court hearing into the prorogation of Parliament. "Judges warned to stay neutral" is the headline in the the Times, which highlights Boris Johnson's written submission to the hearing, in which he warned the court to steer clear of the political arena. Inside the paper, Daniel Finklestein reflects on the significance of the hearings: "They may mark the moment Britain stopped being a political democracy restrained by law, and became a legal democracy tempered by politics." The "i" focuses on the case made by lawyers who are challenging the suspension - "PM abused his power to 'silence' MPs," reads its headline. The Daily Telegraph reflects on the atmosphere outside the courtroom, where demonstrators "queued, chanted and marched for hours". "Tempers ran hot", says the paper, with barristers "running the gauntlet of protesters from both sides of the Brexit divide".
The Huffpost and Politics Home websites report on further tensions at the top of Labour after the ruling National Executive Committee endorsed a plan to disband the "Labour Students" group. The Huffpost says the "moderate" group has been a bastion for centrists for decades but was, in effect, abolished under a plan drawn up by Jon Lansman - the founder of the grassroots movement, Momentum. Critics claimed it failed to pay its affiliation fees or improve its internal democracy. But a Labour source tells Politics Home the move is "another nail in the coffin for a sensible Labour Party", while sitting MPs question why Labour would seek to silence its student movement, with an election on the horizon.
The Guardian reports that the leader of UKIP, Richard Braine, has been accused of insulting the party by deciding to boycott its conference because of a low turnout. The paper says he pulled out of the event after fewer than 450 tickets were sold. The move prompted an angry response from the UKIP chair Kirstan Herriot, who vowed the conference would continue without him and branded his actions a complete affront to hard-working party members. The Financial Times reports that the appointment of the next Bank of England governor is set to be pushed back until after the next general election. The paper says people briefed on the matter believe Mark Carney could be asked to extend his term, again, if Brexit is delayed beyond 31 October. Sources tell the paper the manner in which the UK leaves the EU - with or without a deal - would have a "significant influence on the choice of candidate". The Treasury and the Bank of England have declined to comment.
Amazingly the Lib Dems have faced outrage over their plan to revoke article 50, assuming they were to gain a majority in the next general election. This is despite the fact they would have included this in their manifesto. How could you moan about a ronseal manifesto, when if you didn't agree with this measure, you would presumably vote for someone else. I think it more likely that thousands of pigs will be applying for their pilots licences before Christmas, than the Lib Dems getting 326 MPs in the next general election.
Jeremy Corbyn has proved yet again that he has no comprehension of the concept of leadership, by threatening to remain neutral on his support for either side in a referendum. How can anyone respect the leader of a political party that is determined to be welded in a sitting position to a fence, when faced with the most important decision in my lifetime. Shouldnt a leader be expected to provide leadership, and campaign for what their party stands for, and in the best interest of the country. The other party leaders are absolutely clear on what they stand for on Brexit, and none are neutral.
The prorogation has probably backfired for Boris, irrespective of the result in court. He has given himself less time in which to get an election. It would appear that he needs a deal, or an election before the end of October to survive. He is destined to come unstuck as a result of his continual stroke pulling.
Boris Johnson warns Supreme Court judges not to 'enter the political arena' by blocking suspension of Parliament - as Government refuses to rule out proroguing AGAIN if it loses the case
Boris Johnson ‘only recently realised full meaning of single market’, EU chief reportedly claims
Boris Johnson is said by an EU official to have “slumped in his chair” at a lunch in Luxembourg on Monday when the reality of how difficult it would be to strike a Brexit deal dawned on him. Mr Johnson is also said to have “understood the meaning of the single market” for the first time at the meeting, according to the Financial Times. The latter claim was made by European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker himself, the FT said. One official said Mr Johnson had a “penny-dropping” moment when he was told that replacing the Irish backstop would not prevent customs checks that cross the border with Ireland. A Number 10 official described the descriptions of what occurred at the lunch as “nonsense”
In or out of the single market? Despite his insistence on a “clean break” with the EU in the event of a no-deal Brexit, Mr Johnson has previously insisted he is in favour of the single market. A clip of a speech that went viral earlier this year saw Mr Johnson state: “We will remain a paid, valued, participating member of the single market. Under no circumstances in my view will a British government adjust that position.”
Speaking before the EU referendum, Mr Johnson also stated: "I would vote to stay in the single market. I'm in favour of the single market.” He added to Sky News: "I'm in favour of the single market. I want us to be able to trade freely with our European friends and partners.”
Irish backstop alternative Britain’s Brexit negotiator, David Frost, has proposed an alternative to the Irish backstop that would see common rules for checking animals and animal products established across the whole island of Ireland. The system of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) checks on agricultural products was hoped to prove acceptable to Ireland but Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said they only account for around 30% of border checks. Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, said on Wednesday that despite the UK making clear what its preferred choice for the backstop alternative was, the two sides shouldn't "pretend to be negotiating" if there was no real progress. He said: "That is not enough to move towards achieving a solution. We need a legally operative solution in the withdrawal agreement which fully responds to each one of the problems."
Empty podium When Mr Johnson left his two-hour lunch with Mr Juncker, he was greeted with cries of "Go home Boris" and "stop Brexit" from pro-EU demonstrators. He then headed to the Ministry of State for a meeting with Luxembourg’s PM Xavier Bettel and was again met by a noisy chorus, including chants of "bog off Boris" and "tell the truth”. After the meeting he scrapped an appearance at a planned joint press conference with Mr Bettel because he feared being drowned out by the heckles. Instead his lectern was left empty by Mr Bettel, who ridiculed Mr Johnson and stuck the boot in.
Prorogue appeals Mr Johnson is to defend his controversial decision to suspend Parliament for five weeks at the UK's highest court on Wednesday. Lawyers representing the PM will argue that his advice to the Queen to prorogue Parliament was lawful, and that in any event the court cannot interfere in political matters. The Supreme Court in London is hearing historic appeals from two separate challenges, brought in England and Scotland, to the prorogation of Parliament. Mr Johnson says the five-week suspension is to allow the Government to set out a new legislative agenda in a Queen's Speech when MPs return to Parliament on October 14. But those who brought the legal challenges argue the prorogation is designed to prevent parliamentary scrutiny of the UK's scheduled departure from the EU on October 31.
Supreme Court: Prorogation carried out 'in bad faith', judges told
The PM's decision to suspend Parliament for five weeks was carried out "in bad faith", the Supreme Court has heard. Scottish judges ruled the move unlawful, but the government is appealing, arguing it is a political judgement, not a matter for the courts. Defending the ruling, Aidan O'Neill QC said people expected the government to engage "solely in high politics rather than low, dishonest, dirty tricks". But, he added: "I am not sure we can assume this of this government." The PM prorogued Parliament earlier this month, saying it would allow him to hold a Queen's Speech on 14 October to outline his new policies. He has insisted the decision had nothing to do with his promise to leave the EU on 31 October, with or without a Brexit deal, but critics have accused him of trying to silence MPs in the run-up to the deadline.
Tory government 'looking at' granting Australians freedom of movement denied to EU citizens after Brexit, cabinet minister Liz Truss says
Australian citizens could get freedom of movement rights denied to EU nationals after Brexit, international trade secretary Liz Truss has suggested. Speaking during a visit to Canberra, Ms Truss said that the relaxation of visa requirements for Australian nationals wanting to live and work in the UK would “certainly” be looked at as part of negotiations on a new trade deal.
The 12-day deadline by the Finnish prime minister for Boris Johnson to declare his new proposals for Brexit makes the front pages of many of the papers. The Daily Mail says the ultimatum was clearly the work of French President Emmanuel Macron. According to the paper, he's long been frustrated about the time Brexit is taking, but it's not clear whether his strict time limit will be backed by other European leaders. The Daily Express agrees. Mr Macron has "thrown down the gauntlet", the paper says - issuing a "brutal cut-off date" in an attempt to break the deadlock. The Guardian points out that a deadline of 30 September would be problematic for the prime minister, as it falls on the eve of the Conservative Party conference. The paper thinks Mr Johnson would be "wary of showing his hand" at such a sensitive point, given his party's potentially negative reaction to any movement on the backstop.
The Daily Telegraph leads on comments made by the Leader of the House of Commons, Jacob Rees-Mogg, praising Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage. During a speech designed to woo Brexiteers back to the Conservative Party, Mr Rees-Mogg described Mr Farage as the "most important political figure" outside Parliament in the past 30 years - and said Brexiteers "owe him a huge debt". The paper points out that his warm words for Mr Farage come just a week after senior Conservative sources said the Brexit Party leader was "not fit and proper" and shouldn't be allowed near government. The Times picks out a different part of Jacob Rees-Mogg's speech, where he admitted it had been a "mistake" to recline on the front bench during a Brexit debate in the Commons
Two former police chiefs have told the Times that the Home Office is manipulating crime figures by omitting thousands of cases of fraud. According to the paper, up to 50,000 legitimate cases of identity fraud are not included in the official statistics every year and criminals are not being pursued. The former officers, who ran the fraud squad between 1997 and 2008, are accusing ministers of trying to "disguise" escalating fraud rates rather than invest in policing. The Home Office said all cases that are classed as frauds should be recorded as crimes.
A call for top-flight women's sport to be given equal billing to men's is reported by a number of papers. In her first major speech as culture secretary, Nicky Morgan said women's tournaments should be added to the list of sport's "crown jewels" shown on free-to-air television. The "i" says Ms Morgan wants to "build on the momentum" of the football World Cup, opening women's sport up to a mass audience. And the front page of the Sun is dominated by an image of a "giant eel-like creature", filmed in murky waters in the Scottish Highlands. Under the headline "Loch YES monster", the paper says scientists believe the footage, which was posted online, could have captured the real Nessie. Filmed by an underwater camera, the video shows the outline of a long slender "serpent" slithering through the water. Experts tell the paper the sighting backs up evidence published earlier this month that the legendary monster might actually be an enormous eel.
Incredible Hulk Johnson is too scared to go to his own press conference The booing is following the prime minister around the continent. Does he care that he is reviled everywhere he goes?
It is 24 hours since Boris Johnson described himself in a newspaper interview as The Incredible Hulk. It is not even a fortnight since Boris Johnson launched a campaign to brand Jeremy Corbyn a “chicken”, for not being stupid enough to give him a general election on the precise day he wants. And yet, on Monday afternoon, he refused to go to his own press conference in Luxembourg because it would have been, in his own words “too noisy”.
Comments
Boris Johnson was accused of bottling a Brexit press conference today after failing to appear at a joint statement with Luxembourg's prime minister due to noisy protests.
In a pointed gesture, Xavier Bettel delivered the press conference by himself with an empty podium where Mr Johnson was scheduled to have joined him.
The British Prime Minister had earlier been booed by crowds as he walked up to meet Mr Bettel with a handshake before heading into the Ministry of State in Luxembourg City for discussions.
Demonstrators screamed “Stop the coup, tell the truth” and “Bog off Boris”.
Meanwhile, Mr Bettel, speaking next to an empty podium at his now solo press conference, said the “clock is ticking” and told Mr Johnson: “Stop speaking and act.”
Asked about Mr Johnson’s openness to breaking the law to deliver Brexit, he added that such a move from the government “wouldn’t happen in Luxembourg”.
“That’s why I thought it was important to speak to Prime Minister Johnson to get proposals.
“We need more than just words.”
There needed to be a legally operational text to work on “as soon as possible” if the October deadline was to be met, he added.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/boris-bottles-brexit-press-conference-due-to-noisy-protests-144932150.html
https://uk.yahoo.com/news/boris-bottles-brexit-press-conference-due-to-noisy-protests-144932150.html
A single image dominates most front pages - the photo of Luxembourg's Prime Minister, Xavier Bettel, gesturing to the empty podium left by Boris Johnson's decision to pull out of a joint news conference during his visit on Monday.
"Johnson left humiliated as Brexit visit ends in chaos" is the Guardian's view as it reports that the PM was mocked for avoiding protesters.
The Financial Times captions the photo: "invisible man", while, online, the choice for the Independent is: "gone missing".
The Luxembourg Times is also scathing of its British visitor - the headline: "Noisy protest mutes Johnson". It suggests that the UK prime minister "ducked out" of the event rather than face a hostile crowd ready to boo and jeer him.
But there is sympathy for the prime minister in some coverage. "Le Stitch Up" is the headline in the Daily Mail as it reports that "a baying anti-Brexit crowd" forced Boris Johnson to duck the planned press conference.
"Luxembourg laughs in Johnson's face" is the caption accompanying the front page photo in the Daily Telegraph, which describes the post-visit briefing as "an EU ambush".
The Sun keeps its verdict on what it calls a "feeble stunt" to mock the PM brief - with the headline "Luxemberk".
A "stage-managed anti-Brexit rant by the leader of a tiny tax haven" is the view of the Daily Express. Its conclusion: "No wonder Britain voted to quit the EU."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-49722746
Now he's even trying to make money by doing photo shoots....
The justice secretary has refused to rule out Boris Johnson shutting down parliament a second time and suggested the Queen’s Speech may not go ahead next month.
Robert Buckland said the opening of the new parliamentary session – announced for 14 October, the day MPs finally return to Westminster – would take place “if we are able to”.
And, asked if it was “remotely conceivable” that a second prorogation would be ordered – if the Supreme Court forces a recall of parliament – said the political situation was simply too volatile to make predictions.
“For me to sit here and imagine what might happen at end of October, I think, is idle,” Mr Buckland said.
“What I do know is that, if we are able to, we will have a Queen’s Speech in mid-October.”
When Dominic Cummings, last week, floated the possibility of a second suspension, if the Supreme Court rules the first was illegal, the comment was dismissed by Downing Street as “a joke”.
But Mr Buckland, and the prime minister himself in a separate interview, suggested it is among the options being considered if the highest court in the land rules against the government.
Both also refused to commit to recalling parliament if the Supreme Court battle is lost, the justice secretary saying he would await “the precise wording of any judgement”.
Labour condemned the idea that the government might “ignore a court judgement and prorogue parliament all over again”.
“Any normal prime minister, faced with a ruling of that kind, would immediately go back to the Queen and ask for parliament to be recalled, said Shami Chakrabarti, the shadow attorney general.
“This is pretty scary stuff that is testing our constitution and our normal British sense of fair play to the limit.”
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/brexit/brexit-tory-minister-refuses-to-rule-out-boris-johnson-shutting-down-parliament-a-second-time-and-casts-doubt-on-queens-speech/ar-AAHqiIh?ocid=spartandhp
Ministers have “fiddled the figures” to disguise the true level of chaos at British ports from a no-deal Brexit, it has been alleged.
The government’s Operation Yellowhammer dossier – only released after a parliamentary battle – predicted a “low risk of significant sustained queues” at ports other than in Kent.
But new documents have revealed this would only be the case because tens of thousands of vehicles would be turned away before they reached the coast, for not having the correct paperwork.
In Liverpool, Holyhead and Portsmouth about two-thirds of vehicles would not be allowed into the port, the Department for Transport (DfT) papers, stamped “official sensitive”, show.
“One hundred per cent of non-compliant vehicles will be turned away, which means the resulting flow rate is 29 per cent at Holyhead, Heysham and Liverpool, and 32 per cent at Portsmouth,” one states.
Meanwhile, at Dover, the busiest port for traffic to and from the EU, the queues could reach a peak of 8,500 vehicles, according to one of the documents seen by the FT.
It calculated that, given the typical 16.5m length of an articulated lorry, the tailbacks outside Dover could stretch to about 150km.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/brexit/no-deal-brexit-tens-of-thousands-of-lorries-with-wrong-paperwork-to-be-turned-away-at-ports-secret-government-documents-reveal/ar-AAHqsGE?ocid=spartandhp
“But they also feel at home in Scotland, more than elsewhere in the UK.
“They feel valued for their contribution. More importantly, they feel they can belong to the Scottish Nation because this is not in opposition with being also French, Italian, Polish and European.”
Most interviewees in Scotland acknowledged that the atmosphere in Scotland during the EU referendum campaign and in itsaftermath was not or less hostile towards them in comparison to what they heard or experienced in England.
As well as Ms Sturgeon’s words of support, the victory of the Remain side in Scotland was also taken as evidence of the majority of the Scots population being pro-European.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/eu-citizens-feel-safer-in-scotland-than-in-england-finds-report/ar-AAHq7Gl?ocid=spartanntp
Many of the morning papers dedicate their front pages to the Supreme Court hearing into the prorogation of Parliament.
"Judges warned to stay neutral" is the headline in the the Times, which highlights Boris Johnson's written submission to the hearing, in which he warned the court to steer clear of the political arena.
Inside the paper, Daniel Finklestein reflects on the significance of the hearings: "They may mark the moment Britain stopped being a political democracy restrained by law, and became a legal democracy tempered by politics."
The "i" focuses on the case made by lawyers who are challenging the suspension - "PM abused his power to 'silence' MPs," reads its headline.
The Daily Telegraph reflects on the atmosphere outside the courtroom, where demonstrators "queued, chanted and marched for hours". "Tempers ran hot", says the paper, with barristers "running the gauntlet of protesters from both sides of the Brexit divide".
The Huffpost and Politics Home websites report on further tensions at the top of Labour after the ruling National Executive Committee endorsed a plan to disband the "Labour Students" group.
The Huffpost says the "moderate" group has been a bastion for centrists for decades but was, in effect, abolished under a plan drawn up by Jon Lansman - the founder of the grassroots movement, Momentum.
Critics claimed it failed to pay its affiliation fees or improve its internal democracy. But a Labour source tells Politics Home the move is "another nail in the coffin for a sensible Labour Party", while sitting MPs question why Labour would seek to silence its student movement, with an election on the horizon.
The Guardian reports that the leader of UKIP, Richard Braine, has been accused of insulting the party by deciding to boycott its conference because of a low turnout.
The paper says he pulled out of the event after fewer than 450 tickets were sold. The move prompted an angry response from the UKIP chair Kirstan Herriot, who vowed the conference would continue without him and branded his actions a complete affront to hard-working party members.
The Financial Times reports that the appointment of the next Bank of England governor is set to be pushed back until after the next general election.
The paper says people briefed on the matter believe Mark Carney could be asked to extend his term, again, if Brexit is delayed beyond 31 October.
Sources tell the paper the manner in which the UK leaves the EU - with or without a deal - would have a "significant influence on the choice of candidate". The Treasury and the Bank of England have declined to comment.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-49736258
I think it more likely that thousands of pigs will be applying for their pilots licences before Christmas, than the Lib Dems getting 326 MPs in the next general election.
Jeremy Corbyn has proved yet again that he has no comprehension of the concept of leadership, by threatening to remain neutral on his support for either side in a referendum.
How can anyone respect the leader of a political party that is determined to be welded in a sitting position to a fence, when faced with the most important decision in my lifetime.
Shouldnt a leader be expected to provide leadership, and campaign for what their party stands for, and in the best interest of the country.
The other party leaders are absolutely clear on what they stand for on Brexit, and none are neutral.
The prorogation has probably backfired for Boris, irrespective of the result in court. He has given himself less time in which to get an election. It would appear that he needs a deal, or an election before the end of October to survive.
He is destined to come unstuck as a result of his continual stroke pulling.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/brexit/boris-johnson-warns-supreme-court-judges-not-to-enter-the-political-arena-by-blocking-suspension-of-parliament-as-government-refuses-to-rule-out-proroguing-again-if-it-loses-the-case/ar-AAHrF4g?ocid=spartanntp
Boris Johnson is said by an EU official to have “slumped in his chair” at a lunch in Luxembourg on Monday when the reality of how difficult it would be to strike a Brexit deal dawned on him.
Mr Johnson is also said to have “understood the meaning of the single market” for the first time at the meeting, according to the Financial Times.
The latter claim was made by European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker himself, the FT said.
One official said Mr Johnson had a “penny-dropping” moment when he was told that replacing the Irish backstop would not prevent customs checks that cross the border with Ireland.
A Number 10 official described the descriptions of what occurred at the lunch as “nonsense”
In or out of the single market?
Despite his insistence on a “clean break” with the EU in the event of a no-deal Brexit, Mr Johnson has previously insisted he is in favour of the single market.
A clip of a speech that went viral earlier this year saw Mr Johnson state: “We will remain a paid, valued, participating member of the single market. Under no circumstances in my view will a British government adjust that position.”
Speaking before the EU referendum, Mr Johnson also stated: "I would vote to stay in the single market. I'm in favour of the single market.”
He added to Sky News: "I'm in favour of the single market. I want us to be able to trade freely with our European friends and partners.”
Irish backstop alternative
Britain’s Brexit negotiator, David Frost, has proposed an alternative to the Irish backstop that would see common rules for checking animals and animal products established across the whole island of Ireland.
The system of sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) checks on agricultural products was hoped to prove acceptable to Ireland but Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said they only account for around 30% of border checks.
Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, said on Wednesday that despite the UK making clear what its preferred choice for the backstop alternative was, the two sides shouldn't "pretend to be negotiating" if there was no real progress.
He said: "That is not enough to move towards achieving a solution. We need a legally operative solution in the withdrawal agreement which fully responds to each one of the problems."
Empty podium
When Mr Johnson left his two-hour lunch with Mr Juncker, he was greeted with cries of "Go home Boris" and "stop Brexit" from pro-EU demonstrators.
He then headed to the Ministry of State for a meeting with Luxembourg’s PM Xavier Bettel and was again met by a noisy chorus, including chants of "bog off Boris" and "tell the truth”.
After the meeting he scrapped an appearance at a planned joint press conference with Mr Bettel because he feared being drowned out by the heckles.
Instead his lectern was left empty by Mr Bettel, who ridiculed Mr Johnson and stuck the boot in.
Prorogue appeals
Mr Johnson is to defend his controversial decision to suspend Parliament for five weeks at the UK's highest court on Wednesday.
Lawyers representing the PM will argue that his advice to the Queen to prorogue Parliament was lawful, and that in any event the court cannot interfere in political matters.
The Supreme Court in London is hearing historic appeals from two separate challenges, brought in England and Scotland, to the prorogation of Parliament.
Mr Johnson says the five-week suspension is to allow the Government to set out a new legislative agenda in a Queen's Speech when MPs return to Parliament on October 14.
But those who brought the legal challenges argue the prorogation is designed to prevent parliamentary scrutiny of the UK's scheduled departure from the EU on October 31.
https://uk.yahoo.com/news/eu-chief-claims-boris-johnson-only-recently-realised-full-meaning-of-single-market-094503411.html
The PM's decision to suspend Parliament for five weeks was carried out "in bad faith", the Supreme Court has heard.
Scottish judges ruled the move unlawful, but the government is appealing, arguing it is a political judgement, not a matter for the courts.
Defending the ruling, Aidan O'Neill QC said people expected the government to engage "solely in high politics rather than low, dishonest, dirty tricks".
But, he added: "I am not sure we can assume this of this government."
The PM prorogued Parliament earlier this month, saying it would allow him to hold a Queen's Speech on 14 October to outline his new policies.
He has insisted the decision had nothing to do with his promise to leave the EU on 31 October, with or without a Brexit deal, but critics have accused him of trying to silence MPs in the run-up to the deadline.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-49735947
Australian citizens could get freedom of movement rights denied to EU nationals after Brexit, international trade secretary Liz Truss has suggested.
Speaking during a visit to Canberra, Ms Truss said that the relaxation of visa requirements for Australian nationals wanting to live and work in the UK would “certainly” be looked at as part of negotiations on a new trade deal.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/brexit/tory-government-looking-at-granting-australians-freedom-of-movement-denied-to-eu-citizens-after-brexit-cabinet-minister-liz-truss-says/ar-AAHtEIQ?ocid=spartandhp
The 12-day deadline by the Finnish prime minister for Boris Johnson to declare his new proposals for Brexit makes the front pages of many of the papers.
The Daily Mail says the ultimatum was clearly the work of French President Emmanuel Macron. According to the paper, he's long been frustrated about the time Brexit is taking, but it's not clear whether his strict time limit will be backed by other European leaders.
The Daily Express agrees. Mr Macron has "thrown down the gauntlet", the paper says - issuing a "brutal cut-off date" in an attempt to break the deadlock.
The Guardian points out that a deadline of 30 September would be problematic for the prime minister, as it falls on the eve of the Conservative Party conference.
The paper thinks Mr Johnson would be "wary of showing his hand" at such a sensitive point, given his party's potentially negative reaction to any movement on the backstop.
The Daily Telegraph leads on comments made by the Leader of the House of Commons, Jacob Rees-Mogg, praising Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage.
During a speech designed to woo Brexiteers back to the Conservative Party, Mr Rees-Mogg described Mr Farage as the "most important political figure" outside Parliament in the past 30 years - and said Brexiteers "owe him a huge debt".
The paper points out that his warm words for Mr Farage come just a week after senior Conservative sources said the Brexit Party leader was "not fit and proper" and shouldn't be allowed near government.
The Times picks out a different part of Jacob Rees-Mogg's speech, where he admitted it had been a "mistake" to recline on the front bench during a Brexit debate in the Commons
Two former police chiefs have told the Times that the Home Office is manipulating crime figures by omitting thousands of cases of fraud. According to the paper, up to 50,000 legitimate cases of identity fraud are not included in the official statistics every year and criminals are not being pursued.
The former officers, who ran the fraud squad between 1997 and 2008, are accusing ministers of trying to "disguise" escalating fraud rates rather than invest in policing. The Home Office said all cases that are classed as frauds should be recorded as crimes.
A call for top-flight women's sport to be given equal billing to men's is reported by a number of papers.
In her first major speech as culture secretary, Nicky Morgan said women's tournaments should be added to the list of sport's "crown jewels" shown on free-to-air television.
The "i" says Ms Morgan wants to "build on the momentum" of the football World Cup, opening women's sport up to a mass audience.
And the front page of the Sun is dominated by an image of a "giant eel-like creature", filmed in murky waters in the Scottish Highlands.
Under the headline "Loch YES monster", the paper says scientists believe the footage, which was posted online, could have captured the real Nessie.
Filmed by an underwater camera, the video shows the outline of a long slender "serpent" slithering through the water. Experts tell the paper the sighting backs up evidence published earlier this month that the legendary monster might actually be an enormous eel.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-49749320
The booing is following the prime minister around the continent. Does he care that he is reviled everywhere he goes?
It is 24 hours since Boris Johnson described himself in a newspaper interview as The Incredible Hulk. It is not even a fortnight since Boris Johnson launched a campaign to brand Jeremy Corbyn a “chicken”, for not being stupid enough to give him a general election on the precise day he wants.
And yet, on Monday afternoon, he refused to go to his own press conference in Luxembourg because it would have been, in his own words “too noisy”.
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/boris-johnson-incredible-hulk-negotiations-brexit-jean-claude-juncker-luxembourg-a9107376.html