United Kingdom and Gibraltar European Union membership referendum
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Two British opposition parties want to agree with the plan for new elections for Prime Minister Boris Johnson - if one thing is guaranteed: the European Union (EU) must uphold the British request for a Brexit postponement by 31 January, with no possibility for the EU to go ahead to leave.
This is what the party leaders of the Scottish National Party SNP and the Liberal Democrats, Ian Blackford and Jo Swinson, wrote in a letter to EU head of council Donald Tusk published on Twitter on Twitter.
If this extension is "assured," we will work together to bring the election forward this year, "the letter said. "We all hope that an election will take place so that the hopeless situation is broken."
EU Council leader Tusk had recommended to the 27 remaining EU states to grant the British request for postponement until 31 January, thus avoiding a chaos Brexit next week. A Brexit should be possible before the end of the term, if a ratification of the withdrawal agreement succeeds before. There is talk of a "flextension".
Johnson wants to vote on new elections on December 12th on Monday. But he can only achieve the necessary two-thirds majority in parliament with the help of the opposition. Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Labor Party, and thus the largest opposition party, had already made it clear that they would not stand in the way of a new election as soon as a no-deal Brexit was off the table.
SNP and Liberal Democrats, both of which vehemently reject Brexit, have 54 seats in the lower house. They are for new elections on 9 December.
SNP say they'll work with Lib Dems to make a 9 Dec general election possible
They first want to confirm #Brexit extension to end Jan @IanBlackfordMP and @joswinson have written to @eucopresident to request pic.twitter.com/w4DSeS24nS
EU wants to decide at the beginning of the week
The EU states have yet to reach a decision on the duration of another Brexit shift. The EU Ambassadors of the Member States adjourned on Friday at the beginning of next week, just before the previous exit date on 31 October. A decision is expected for Monday or Tuesday.
Germany and most other EU states support the renewal of the deadline, EU diplomats said. Meanwhile, France had until recently insisted on granting only a brief technical extension to complete the ratification of the agreement in the United Kingdom.
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The British government had requested this postponement on pressure of the lower house last weekend. Johnson accused parliamentarians on Saturday night of "holding hostage" in their no to his Brexit deal and to new elections. "Millions of businesses and people can not plan their future."
Happens against expectations in the next few days, the British membership ends on 31 October at midnight: no contract. The UK's exit from the EU was originally scheduled for March 29, but was postponed twice in the spring.