Boris Johnson has put the prospect of a no-deal Brexit firmly back on the table, by introducing a legal provision to bar him from extending negotiations on a trade deal with Brussels beyond the end of next year.
Sky reports that the Commons is sitting for the first time since the general election with Boris Johnson planning to beef up his Brexit legislation to outlaw a delay to the UK leaving the European Union.
In a move that could make a no-deal Brexit more likely, the prime minister is radically altering the EU Withdrawal Bill to prevent Parliament extending the transition period beyond the end of next year.
The Independent reports that the “move was branded “reckless” by Liberal Democrat interim leader Sir Ed Davey, who warned it risked sending the UK “straight off the no-deal cliff”, threatening jobs, the environment and the NHS.”
The ban, to be included in the Withdrawal Agreement Bill tabled in parliament on Friday, will prevent the prime minister from buying extra time if trade talks are not completed within what most experts regard as an extremely tight timescale. Last week a leaked recording revealed that Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, believed the timetable was “unrealistic”. He told MEPs: “We will not get everything done in 11 months.”
