UK parliament to be suspended again as Johnson seeks to launch legislative program

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to ask the Queen today to suspend parliament until October 14.

October 14 is shaping to be a very important day for Britain as it’s also the last day a Brexit agreement can be reached before the October 17 EU leaders’ summit, where it would be signed.

Negotiations for a new Brexit agreement will continue this week. The UK wants to scrap the Irish backstop and has proposed having Northern Ireland remain in the EU’s single market but leave its customs union with the rest of the UK. Brussels opposes the plan, which would involve establishing a hard Irish border in the form of customs checks.

Still, Johnson’s proposal remains better than no deal at all. Brussels will need to assess this week whether Johnson can follow through on his threat to leave without a deal on October 31 by getting around a law that would force him to seek an extension on October 19.

At this point, Brussels appears to be hedging its bets that Johnson will be forced to seek an extension, making an agreement this week unlikely.

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