Deal or No deal?

On the 24th of July, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s proclaimed in his first speech as PM that ‘We are going to fulfil the repeated promises of parliament to the people and come out of the EU on October 31st … we will do a new deal, a better deal’….’No ifs or buts’

As the complications of Brexit caused the chaotic Conservative Leadership elections this year, Johnson is hoped to be the ‘hero’ of undeniably one of the nations biggest disaster in decades. However, since becoming PM, his painful optimism and confidence in leaving the EU on October 31st leaves many uncertainties about his Brexit plan.

During his campaign to be Prime minister, Johnson declared the odds of a no deal Brexit were “a million to one”. More currently, Johnson has urged Brussels to “come to its senses” about Brexit, with demanding the EU reopens Theresa May’s 585 page ‘withdrawal agreement’.

Despite these plans, Diplomats in Brussels have reportedly been told that Johnson has “no desire” to reopen the withdrawal agreement, with a No deal supposedly being his aim. Recently, heightening the rumour of a No deal Brexit, Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn met with the leaders of the Lib Dems, SNP, Plaid Cymru, the green party and the Independent group for change to discuss ways to stop the chance of a No Deal Brexit.

 Furthermore, Queen Elizabeth has approved a request from the prime minister to suspend parliament from the middle of September until 14th of October. Although Johnson is adamant that his preference is to leave with a deal, the suspension is a supposed bid to restrict MP’s ability to block a no-deal Brexit. Potentially allowing a chaotic and undemocratic suspension of Parliament in a time of national crisis. Causing remainers to take to the streets of London and Manchester to protest against not giving MP’s an opportunity to stop a no deal Brexit.

 At this time, the results of Brexit are ambiguous. With Johnson announcing that 2.1billion will be funded to prepare for a no deal Brexit at the end of October, all outcomes of this break from the EU is considered. By the first EU council meeting being only a fortnight before UK’s EU departure.  David Davies argued that the last weeks of the Brexit negotiations would prove crucial and this appears to be true.  If the UK leaves the EU without a deal, both sides will be at fault and the question is whether the EU will compromise?

Tara Tohill-Rogers Year 12