European leaders are now prepared to scrap the October 31 Brexit deadline, according to Gordon Brown as Eurosceptic MPs claim Brussels is beginning to panic.
The former prime minister yesterday claimed that French president Emmanuel Macron is no longer opposed to extending the deadline for the UK leaving the EU.
He said: ‘I believe that next week the European Union will withdraw the October 31 deadline and remove the excuse that Boris Johnson has and the claim that he’s making that it’s the EU that is being inflexible.’
Former PM Gordon Brown said: ‘The Government has two arguments that they want to get across – that it’s a sovereign people against a non-sovereign Parliament, and it’s Britain against Europe. ‘Pull the rug from under that by saying it’s not Europe that’s being inflexible, it’s up to Britain now – the deadline can be removed’
Speaking as he launched a new pro-Union think- tank in Edinburgh, the former Labour leader said: ‘It was Macron that introduced this October 31 deadline. He persuaded the rest of the European Council to impose it and Britain agreed to it.
‘My information is that Macron no longer holds to that deadline.
‘It was really introduced for his campaign in the European elections to make him sound tough. And none of the other European Commissioners will hold to that October 31 deadline.
‘The Government has two arguments that they want to get across – that it’s a sovereign people against a non-sovereign Parliament, and it’s Britain against Europe.
‘Pull the rug from under that by saying it’s not Europe that’s being inflexible, it’s up to Britain now – the deadline can be removed.
‘If that happened next week it would help us win a vote in the Commons and put the pressure back on the Government.’
Gordon Brown’s comments come as Euro-sceptic MPs claim that the EU is looking to extend the Article 50 deadline to avoid a no-deal Brexit following pressure from Boris Johnson, who has made his intentions of leaving deal or no-deal very clear.
The former prime minister yesterday claimed that French president Emmanuel Macron is no longer opposed to extending the deadline for the UK leaving the EU
During his speech in Scotland the former Prime Minister claimed that an offer from French president Macron to extend the October 31 Brexit deadline may have already been laid on the table last night. Meanwhile Boris Johnson claims any further delay to Brexit will cause ‘lasting damage’ as it may give our ‘friends and partners’ in the EU the idea that there is a possibility the UK may be willing to stay in the EU – which could affect bargaining power over a Brexit deal.
