In his statement outside No. 10, Boris Johnson’s message was simple: back me or help Corbyn. Ahead of a crunch Brexit vote tomorrow in the Commons, the Prime Minister urged Tory MPs to get on side and help ensure a Brexit deal could be agreed. In order to do this, Johnson said it was vital that MPs did not vote for the rebel alliance plot to try to force the government to request an Article 50 extension:
‘But if there is one thing that can hold us back in these talks it is the sense in Brussels that MPs may find some way to cancel the referendum. Or that tomorrow MPs will vote – with Jeremy Corbyn – for yet another pointless delay. I don’t think they will. I hope that they won’t. But if they do they will plainly chop the legs out from under the UK position and make any further negotiation absolutely impossible.’
Notably, Johnson repeatedly referred to the delay as being Jeremy Corbyn’s doing – even though it is cross-party rebel MPs who are putting forward the bill.
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