Johnson pledges ‘do or die, come what may’ Brexit on 31st October

‘Boris Johnson has issued a “do or die” pledge to leave the EU with or without a deal on October 31, prompting warnings that his strategy would plunge Britain into a general election and hand the keys of Number 10 to Jeremy Corbyn. Mr Johnson, attempting to relaunch his flagging Conservative leadership bid, doubled down on his hard Brexit strategy, announcing that his campaign would be chaired by leading Eurosceptic Iain Duncan Smith. The frontrunner to become the British prime minister made a series of proposals for a new Brexit deal — all of which have previously been categorically rejected by the EU — and warned that he would execute a no-deal exit if he failed to get his way. In one of a series of interviews, he told Talk Radio that Britain would leave the EU on October 31 “do or die, come what may” and vowed to rip up the EU withdrawal treaty, including the Irish backstop. The former foreign secretary also predicted that with the assistance of some “positive energy” the EU would agree to a standstill trade agreement while Britain negotiated a trade deal that resolved the Irish border issue.’ – FT

• The former Foreign Secretary hinted he might be willing to defy Parliament to do so – The Times
• He’s on the campaign trail – Daily Mail
• And tells Tory members in Sutton Coldfield the NHS needs more money and reform – The Guardian
• They couldn’t muzzle him forever – Quentin Letts, The Times
• The EU attacks his plan as ‘bullsh*t’ – The Sun
• He can get it over the line – Liam Halligan, Daily Telegraph
• Remoaners’ bitter loathing of him is remarkable – The Sun Says
• Fullbrook appointed as the campaign’s chief executive – FT
• Duncan Smith is the chairman – Daily Mail
• Claims of strains and frustrations in the campaign team – Daily Mail
• If he blows it, Brexiteers won’t forgive easily – Leo McKinstry, Daily Telegraph
• Johnson says he paints model buses to relax – The Guardian
• Davey apologises for call to ‘decapitate that blond head’ – The Guardian

>Today: ToryDiary: Meanwhile, the Conservative poll rating is at under a quarter of the vote

>Yesterday:

• James Frayne’s column: Lessons we are learning during this leadership contest
• WATCH: “My pledge is to come out of the EU at Halloween on 31 October, ” declares Johnson.

Hunt criticises ‘fake deadline’, and implies his rival is not sufficiently trusted to secure a deal

‘Speaking after a war of words with his Conservative leadership rival, whom Hunt branded a coward for turning down a debate with him on Sky News on Tuesday night, Hunt said 31 October was a “fake deadline” and could lead to a snap general election… He made the comments after Johnson wrote to him asking him to commit to taking the UK out of the EU on 31 October come what may. Hunt said he believed that would be “more likely to trip us into a general election before we’ve delivered Brexit, and that would hand the keys to Jeremy Corbyn and then we’d have no Brexit at all”. Hunt said he believed a new prime minister would know soon whether a new deal was possible. “If there isn’t and if no deal is still on the table I’ve been very clear. I will leave the European Union without a deal,” he said. “But I’m not going to do that if there’s a prospect of a better deal and if I did it, it would be with a heavy heart, because businesses up and down the country would face a lot of destruction.”…“Who is the person that we trust to send to Brussels on behalf of the British people and come back with a deal, and that has to be someone that they trust, that they’re prepared to talk to, because in the end you don’t do a deal with someone you don’t trust,” he said. Hunt said he was not trying to paint his rival as untrustworthy.’ – The Guardian

• At last, there is a clear dividing line between the candidates – Daily Telegraph Leader
• ‘I have been waiting for this moment for 30 years of my life’ – The Times
• The Foreign Secretary is emphasising his seriousness, but is that a virtue his party values? – Rafael Behr, The Guardian
• To be in with a chance, Hunt must create Jeremania – Daniel Finkelstein, The Times
• He backs an auto-enrolment scheme to fund social care for the elderly – The Sun
• And now ‘cannot envisage any situation’ in which the UK joins the US in war against Iran – Daily Mail
• Hunt bans the sale of tear gas to Hong Kong – The Times

>Today: Benedict Rogers on Comment: Character, values and dignity. Why I am voting for Hunt.

>Yesterday: WATCH: Hunt suggests that only he can deliver Brexit – not Johnson

Leaving the EU would allow the Government to cut the price of beer in pubs, Norman notes

‘Brexit could make pub beer cheaper by giving the UK more freedom over alcohol taxes, a minister has claimed. Jesse Norman said EU law did not currently allow the Government to levy different rates in pubs to those in supermarkets. Speaking during a Commons debate he said Brexit would provide ‘much greater opportunity to explore creative proposals to redress the balance’. ‘Beer and breweries are an important part of our national life, and the same is of course true for that essential accompaniment, the great British pub,’ he told MPs.’ – Daily Mail

• Fox urges businesses to invest in ‘golden opportunity’ – Daily Telegraph
• Irish finance minister believes No Deal would cost the Republic 85,000 jobs – FT
• Article 24 of GATT is a fantasy – FT Leader
• Everybody needs to be honest about No Deal – The Times Leader
• Raab calls Stewart’s bluff over threat to vote down the government – Daily Telegraph
• Writer calls for Dad’s Army to be ‘retired’ because it makes people pro-Brexit – The Sun
• The trouble is, she’s serious – Christopher Hart, Daily Mail
• The green targets that have just been waved through make No Deal look cheap – Christopher Snowdon, Daily Telegraph

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