Boris Johnson stokes Brexit chaos with contradictory letters

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London - One of his most senior ministers said Britain would still leave the bloc on October 31.

By Reuters

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Published: Mon 21 Oct 2019, 11:49 PM

Last updated: Tue 22 Oct 2019, 9:26 AM

The British government insisted on Sunday the country will leave the European Union on October 31 despite a letter that Prime Minister Boris Johnson was forced by parliament to send to the bloc requesting a Brexit delay.
The Brexit maelstrom has spun wildly in the past week between the possibility of an orderly exit on October 31 with a deal that Johnson struck on Thursday and a delay after he was forced to ask for an extension late on Saturday.
Johnson's defeat in the British parliament over the sequencing of the ratification of his deal exposed the prime minister to a law passed by those opposed to a no deal departure, demanding he request a delay until January 31.
Johnson sent the request note as required, but unsigned, and added another signed letter arguing against what he cast as a deeply corrosive delay. One of his most senior ministers said Britain would still leave the bloc on October 31.
"We are going to leave by October 31. We have the means and the ability to do so," Michael Gove, the minister in charge of no-deal Brexit preparations, told Sky News.
"That letter was sent because parliament required it to be sent ... but parliament can't change the prime minister's mind, parliament can't change the government's policy or determination."
In yet another twist to the running Brexit drama, Johnson sent three letters to Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council.
First, a brief cover note from Britain's EU envoy explaining that the government was simply complying with the law; second, an unsigned copy of the text that the law, known as the Benn Act, forced him to write; and a third letter in which Johnson said he did not want an extension.
"I have made clear since becoming PM and made clear to parliament again today, my view, and the government's position, that a further extension would damage the interests of the UK and our EU partners, and the relationship between us," Johnson said in the third letter, signed "Boris Johnson".


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