Boris Johnson: I’ll make UK ‘match fit’ for no-deal Brexit

  • Boris Johnson has pledged to get the UK “match fit for no deal” to ensure it can leave the EU on 31 October “come what may”.
  • Johnson’s commitment to stick to the deadline comes after he was warned that more than 30 Tories could rebel to block a no-deal Brexit if he tried to force it through parliament.
  • Writing on the BrexitCentral website, Johnson took aim at Hunt, who referred to 31 October as a “fake deadline”, before later admitting he should have described his rival’s commitment to leave on that date as a “fake promise”.
  • He restated his promise to protect the rights of EU citizens in the UK and to put the £39bn divorce settlement in a state of “creative ambiguity” to use as leverage to secure another deal.

Irish foreign minister blasts ‘inaccurate’ Tory leadership debate over EU and backstop

  • Simon Coveney (Ireland’s foreign minister) has blasted the “inaccurate” discussion of Brexit taking place during the Conservative leadership contest.
  • “In recent weeks we have observed and listened to some inaccurate utterances about ourselves, the EU and the backstop,” he wrote in an article for the Irish Times newspaper.
  • Mr Coveney warned that “the chances of a disorderly Brexit have never been higher” and the said the Irish government “now considers the risk of this outcome on October 31st as ‘significant’”.

MPs launch fresh bid to stop next prime minister forcing through no-deal Brexit

  • Meanwhile, MPs will launch a fresh bid later on Monday to stop the next prime minister forcing through a no-deal Brexit without parliament’s consent.
  • The move, orchestrated by Dominic Grieve, is designed to stop the government suspending parliament as a way of preventing MPs from blocking attempts to take the UK out of the EU without a deal.
  • It would make it a legal requirement for a government minister to make a statement in the House of Commons in October on the issue of Northern Ireland.
  • If passed, it would become unlawful for parliament to be suspended at that time, meaning there would be at least one day in October when MPs would be able to try to block no deal.
  • The amendment will be tabled to a government bill that seeks to delay elections to the Stormont devolved assembly until 21 October to allow more time for talks aimed at restoring power-sharing.

Sterling hovers above 6-month lows on Brexit fears as data eyed

  • Sterling hovered near a six-month low against the dollar on Monday as investors continued to bet on lower British interest rates and added to their short positions on the currency.
  • The pound was 0.2% weaker at $1.2507, not far from the $1.2481 low reached on Friday. Against the euro, sterling was broadly flat at 89.660 pence, still below the key psychological level of 90.