Boris Johnson rules out early election, discusses US trade deal with Trump

26 July 2019 | UK NEWS

The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has ruled out calling a General Election ahead of schedule in 2022, seemingly in an attempt to deflect speculation that he would go to the country in the autumn ahead of Britain’s scheduled departure from the European Union on October 31st.

Speaking at an event in Birmingham, Mr Johnson said: “The British people voted in 2015, in 2016, in 2017. What they want us to do is deliver on their mandate, come out of the EU on October 31. They don’t want another electoral event, they don’t want a referendum, they don’t want a General Election. They want us to deliver.” He also said that he would “absolutely not” call an early General Election.

The Prime Minister expressed his view that the Withdrawal Agreement, as negotiated between Theresa May and the European Commission, was now “dead” and that the UK would definitely leave the EU on Halloween regardless of the circumstances. In response, we at Wolves understand that Mr Johnson has been rebuffed during initial conversations with the French President and the German Chancellor, who reportedly insisted that the WA could not be re-opened or re-negotiated.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister has also been in talks with the US President, discussing the “unparalleled” opportunities for trade after Brexit. Referring to the potential for strengthening the economic partnership between the two countries, a Downing Street spokesman said: “The leaders both expressed their commitment to delivering an ambitious free trade agreement and to starting negotiations as soon as possible after the UK leaves the EU.”

Mr Trump reportedly used the call to congratulate the new Prime Minister on his election victory, and the two leaders are also said to have discussed the situation in Iran. They will meet for the first time as President and Prime Minister at the G7 Summit in Biarritz next month.

In the newspapers today, we read in The Telegraph that the former Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, stands accused of claiming over £100,000 in expenses from the Public Duty Cost Allowance fund in 2018/19, despite being in the lucrative employ of Facebook for almost half of last year.

Elsewhere, The Guardian carries a story reporting that the new Home Secretary, Priti Patel, may have breached the Ministerial Code for a second time since her resignation as International Development Secretary in 2017. The allegations relate to work she has been carrying out this year that had not yet been cleared by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba).