UK PM Johnson will ask for Brexit extension if no deal by October 19, court told – World

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will send a letter to the European Union requesting a delay in Brexit if a divorce agreement is not reached before October 19, the government acknowledged for the first time on Friday.

As time approaches Britain's departure on October 31, Johnson has consistently said he will not request a delay in Brexit, but also that he will not violate a law that requires him to request one if an agreement has not been agreed Withdrawal

He has not explained the apparent contradiction in his comments and opponents say they believe he will seek some sort of legal escape route or try to pressure the EU to refuse to accept an extension request.

On Wednesday, Johnson submitted new proposals to the EU that he hopes will lead to a withdrawal agreement, although the bloc has responded with deep skepticism, saying that more concessions are needed if Brexit is to be avoided without an agreement.

Just over a week after a ruling by the British Supreme Court that Johnson had suspended parliament illegally and weeks before the deadline, activists against Brexit turned to the judges again to try to ensure that the departure will be delayed if An agreement to smooth the transition has not been agreed.

They presented two challenges linked to Johnson in the higher courts of Scotland, seeking an order that forced him to abide by the "Benn's Law". This was the law passed by parliament last month that required Johnson to seek a delay in Brexit if he had not agreed to a withdrawal agreement in the next two weeks.

If it does not, they want the court to use their powers, which are not available to English judges, to write to the EU leaders themselves requesting an extension in their name.

Saying that he will comply with the law, Johnson said he would rather be "dead in a ditch" than ask for any delay and that Britain will leave the EU "do or die" on October 31.

As time runs out, the president of the European Council, Donald Tusk, and the head of the EU parliament, David Sassoli, are scheduled to arrive in Berlin on Tuesday to talk with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Sassoli will also see French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Monday and Johnson in London later on Tuesday.

Sanctions

The legal challenge, presented by prosecutor Jo Maugham and Joanna Cherry, legislator of the Scottish National Party, also says that if Johnson does not comply with Benn's Law, the courts could impose sanctions "including fines and imprisonment."

In presentations to the Scottish court read by activist lawyer Aidan O & # 39; Neill, the government said Johnson accepted that he was required to send a letter to the EU on October 19 requesting a delay if he had not reached an agreement and that if an extension was granted, Britain would also agree with it.

O & # 39; Neill said the presentations were "directly contrary to what the prime minister was saying to parliament yesterday."

A Johnson spokesman said he could not comment on ongoing legal proceedings.

In Brussels, an official who dealt with Brexit said: “It is not for us to comment on the internal constitutional arrangements of the United Kingdom or on legal proceedings. But time is short and the only way to avoid an agreement is to ratify an agreement or agree on an extension, so having clarity will be quite key. "

BBC Political editor Laura Kuenssberg said on Twitter that a main source at Johnson's office had said they could still avoid any delay.

"The government will comply with Benn's Law, which only imposes a very specific strict duty with respect to the parliaments letter requesting a delay," the source said.

“The law does not prevent the government from doing other things that do not cause delays, including other communications, private and public. People will have to wait to see how this is reconciled.

"The government is making public its true position on the delay in Europe and this will be made public soon." The Outer Chamber of the Session Court of Scotland will issue its ruling Monday on whether it will order Johnson to comply with the Benn Act, Maugham said.

Irish border problem

Johnson's new proposal is intended to offer arrangements for the post-Brexit border between Ireland, an EU member, and the British province of Northern Ireland.

The EU wants it to be reworked at the end of next week to reach an agreement at the October 17-18 summit of 28 national leaders in Brussels.

"If, at the end of next week, there are no signs of a serious movement, then it is probably too late for an agreement at the summit," said an EU diplomat dealing with Brexit. "We need substantial movements on the UK side, especially in customs."

Despite the Benn Law, Ireland's Foreign Minister, Simon Coveney, said the EU was still concerned about the possibility of a Brexit without an agreement, that many companies fear it will have detrimental economic repercussions for Britain and the EU.

"I think British policy is so unpredictable right now, that we can't even rely on the law in Britain in this context," he said. TEN on Friday.

The legal challenge is the last case that has seen judges called to arbitrate over Brexit, with all the high profile cases so far against the government.

Brexit supporters have accused judges of surpassing their powers by engaging in political affairs.
While Johnson said he respected the Supreme Court decision last week, he also said the judges were wrong.