EXCLUSIVE: EU Parliament tells Council to delay Brexit until 31 Jan 2020

10 EU Parliament Presidents decide in secret

Demand for General Election condition is suddenly removed. Now only the French need to be squared away

In a sudden move which we have not seen reported in the UK press, a virtually unknown body called the “EU Parliament’s Conference of Presidents” wrote to President Tusk of the EU Council on Thursday, stating that the Council should grant a Brexit extension to 31 Jan 2020.

Crucially, the condition of a commitment to a General Election was not included, despite the contradictory statement from EU Parliament’s Brexit Co-Ordinator Guy Verhofstadt just two days earlier.

What Guy Verhofstadt said on Tuesday

On Tuesday Guy Verhofstadt held a major live interview and Q&A video session in Strasbourg, streamed on the EU Parliament’s official Facebook page.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary

Guy Verhofstadt - EU Parliament Chief Brexit Co-Ordinator

“Should the UK reject the current deal, then an extension should only be given under specific circumstances,” said Verhofstadt.

“In that case we would say an extension is only possible when there is a way out of this crisis. That means that on the British side they decide on something, for example an election or a second referendum.

“What we will not do is to give an extension without any purpose.”

On Thursday, just two days later, all this had changed. Despite the categorical assertions of the EU Parliament’s Brexit Co-ordinator, an EU Parliamentary body was privately approving and recommending a three-month Brexit extension with no conditions attached.

Yesterday’s letter to the EU Council from EU Parliament President Sassoli

Following a discussion in the EU Parliament’s ‘Conference of Presidents’ on Thursday (24 Oct 2019), President Sassoli wrote to EUCO President Donald Tusk.

The Conference of Presidents gave approval for – and recommended – that the EU Council accept the request for a further Brexit extension to 31 January 2020. No conditions were attached.

“The Conference of Presidents continues to take the view that the consent procedure with regard to the Withdrawal Agreement is not a formality but must be preceded by a thorough and exhaustive scrutiny of the text.
“This extension will allow the United Kingdom to clarify its position and the European Parliament to properly exercise its role.”

Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary

The EU Parliament's ‘Conference of Presidents’

Yet 10 more Presidents in the EU, whom you didn't vote in
and whom you can't vote out

And not one is British

“In view of the time that such diligent work requires, the Conference of Presidents noted that the European Council should accept the request of the UK Prime Minister of 19 October 2019 to extend the Article 50(3) TEU period until 31 January 2020, with the option that this period could end earlier should ratification and consent procedure have been completed in both the United Kingdom and the European Parliament.
“The Conference of Presidents underlined that a European Council decision on an extension should take into account that the European Parliament’s consent procedure would begin only after the ratification of the Withdrawal Agreement by the United Kingdom.”

Observations

We are informed by a reliable EU source that for decades it was rare to see a British Parliamentarian in Brussels or Strasbourg. These days it seems the place is crawling with them.

It appears that hardly a week goes by without some delegation or other of Remainer MPs – and Remainer QCs and other anti-democratic busybodies – tumbling out of the Eurostar from London and into meetings with representatives of a foreign power.

Clearly all these meetings, calls and formal letters are paying off for Remainers. The EU Parliament’s ‘Conference of Presidents’ decided behind closed doors that Brexit should be delayed by yet another three months. All pre-conditions were dropped.

Will President Macron hold out?

Now it appears that only President Macron of France is holding out for a short extension of just two weeks. If we had to guess, based on previous form, we would expect him to fall into line on Tuesday or Wednesday when the EU Council is expected to make its decision.

The sheer absurdity of the political class

We would make one last point. It may be an obvious point, but in a world of total insanity it seems the blindingly obvious now needs to be stated over and over.

What kind of political class do we have in the UK and right across the EU, where people’s lives and the future of businesses are left in limbo like this? There are just five days to go before the UK leaves the EU, if nothing changes.

By the time a decision is made, we will be lucky if we all have much more than 24 hours’ notice.

Totally and utterly absurd.

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[ Sources: EU Parliament ] Politicians and journalists can contact us for details, as ever.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org, Sat 26 Oct 2019

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Reader Comments 15

1. Carol W , Saturday, October 26, 2019, 07:41:

Never heard of these people and do they have any real power, isn't the EU Parliament there as a token effort at democracy.
Will Macron hold out? He hasn't before and he is a big EU supporter, I'd say he is just playing hard-man to fool his own voters.
As for our Remain establishment visiting the EU: yes, I stinks but there's no evidence and there will be no price for them.
Article 50 is a sham,Parliament is a sham and it's down to the electorate to put it right because no-one else is prepared to.

2. Concerned , Saturday, October 26, 2019, 07:46:

Clown parliament at the moment. EU hell-bent on a United socialist states of Europe.
Twice before world war has started in Europe. I see nothing good about the eu or our clown parliament.
Just imagine what message the clowns sends out to our enemies!
Interesting comments: https://www.bitchute.com/vi...

3. tarien , Saturday, October 26, 2019, 07:55:

Anyone reading this could not argue with it. The statements made follow the majority of peoples thinking in this nation-if this present Prime Minister has not a real understanding of the present mood of the people, or the guts to quit the EU on 31st October with or without a DEAL, then he should leave NO 10 right now. The devil we should tolerate or accept the verdict of a load of shisters sitting in their ivory towers in Brussles, determining the rules it will allow the United Kingdom to follow ! NO way, we have had enough. After having left the EU on 31st October, then and only then we should a date be set for a General Election and no argument from any poltical party should be tolerated. Who said a Benevolent Dictator is needed?

4. Sydney Ashurst , Saturday, October 26, 2019, 08:40:

An extension should only be given under specific circumstances,” said Verhofstadt.
So has not he and these ten unknown MEP's read the Benn Act requesting the extension.
It was stated at the very beginning of the Bill: TO Make further provision in connection with the period for negotiations for withdrawing from the European Union.
The key words are 'further provision' and 'negotiations'.
A reminder the Cooper--Letwin Act had conditions attached.
On 10 April 2019, the European Council agreed to a further extension to allow for the ratification of the Withdrawal Agreement by both Parties.
This extension excludes any re-opening of the Withdrawal Agreement. Any unilateral commitment, statement or other act by the United Kingdom should be compatible with the letter and the spirit of the Withdrawal Agreement, and must not hamper its implementation. Such an extension cannot be used to start negotiations on the future relationship.
The Benn Act seeks to reopen the WA in order to carry on negotiations.
The EU Council and Parliament have to state if they will reopen the WA this time. Do they expect a recalcitrant UK Parliament to ratify the WA as previously demanded.
Are they correctly interpreting Article 50(3), it does not say you can have multiple extension.
Further it is going against Lord Kerr's statement: “We needed a time limit in order to reassure the departing state that it could really depart — it would get out, it couldn’t be enmeshed forever in endless negotiation, it could escape.”
That expired on the 29th March 2019.

5. Chris , Saturday, October 26, 2019, 12:16:

He's not very bright is he, Corbyn? Does he not realise that every day he stalls on an election, he hands a few more thousand votes to Boris? And whilst he can change UK law, he can't change EU law, which takes precedence. The EU has been absolutely crystal clear that the choice now is between Boris' deal and No deal, and that they will not renegotiate again. (DUP take note). When Boris does eventually win a landslide victory, he can simply repeal any of the new Brexit laws he doesn't like.

6. Zerren Yeoville , Saturday, October 26, 2019, 14:18:

Gosh, who would have ever believed that the EU would offer a further three-month extension with no pre-conditions attached, when every extra month means a further billion pounds of UK taxpayers' money flowing into their coffers? And what better incentive for the Opposition parties to continue stalling and blocking all the way to 31/01/2020 when - I'm taking a wild, far-out-there, guess here - another extension will be requested?
The thing is, there is simply nothing that will convince the various rag-tag-and-bobtail opposition parties to allow an election to happen, simply because the current situation allows them to enjoy what previous generations used to call the 'harlot's prerogative' - they are savouring the knowledge that they hold all the power without any of the responsibilities and duties of actually being in office.

7. James Bertram , Saturday, October 26, 2019, 15:46:

Chris - I would question your analysis, more based on hope than fact.
Firstly the DUP are now a No Deal party (if they have any sense) and will align with The Brexit Party.
Johnson has betrayed the Union, the 17.4m voters, and the Country - this will come out, I hope, in an election campaign. The more this happens, the more these treacherous Tories are heading for 9%. I think we will see a dramatic shift towards the Brexit Party as the campaign progresses.
This may result in:
a) The Brexit Party winning outright
b) A hung parliament, with the Brexit Party in a Tory coalition government
c) A hung parliament with a Lib/Lab coalition.
The only way the Tories will win a landslide victory is if they drop this appalling Johnson Surrender Treaty and fight the election on a No Deal ticket.
-
We shall see.

8. James Bertram , Saturday, October 26, 2019, 15:49:

betrayed 'the 17.4 m LEAVE voters'

9. Barbara Jell , Saturday, October 26, 2019, 23:10:

Chris and James - This deal is Betrayal Mark II and the Emperor's New Clothes and is a hideous insult. I cannot believe that the Government is incapable of outwitting the scum which now risibly passes for Parliament and invoking some dramatic measures to just LEAVE! That is, IF they are really genuine and serious about leaving.
Have emailed Boris, JRM and my former hero, Steve Baker, telling them in no uncertain terms that if they cannot do the job they undertook and promised to do, I will be voting for the Brexit Party, even though it goes against the grain. In God' name, invoke an Act of Parliament or some other radical measure to end this torture! Leave without signing a Treaty, as suggested by Sir John Redwood!
Bravo Arlene Foster, the only one with any balls - if only she had been our Prime Minister - other than the laudable Sir John Redwood, who has proved to be the staunchest, most principled and unwavering champion of Brexit amongst the embarrassing and pathetic rabble in Westminster.

10. Barbara Jell , Saturday, October 26, 2019, 23:25:

My biggest fear is, that if Boris wins a landslide election, the Tories can then inflict as much damage as they wish with impunity, and we will have been duped into giving them the authority to do so. They have broken so many promises and if the present surrender 'deal' is anything to go by, WHY should we believe they will act differently once they are invincibly in power, and WHY should we trust them?

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