The British House of Commons meets on Saturday about the agreement that Prime Minister Boris Johnson signed with the EU for the departure of the United Kingdom from the EU. It is highly exceptional that the lower house meets on Saturday. The last time was during the Falklands War in 1982.
Johnson is now busy trying to get a majority in the House of Commons behind. The opposition parties have already announced that they will vote against and the pro-British Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which can help the Conservatives with a majority, are against.
Opposition parties Labor, the Liberal Democrats and the Scottish SNP want a second referendum. The Northern Irish DUP, the government's tolerant partner, is also unwilling to support Johnson. And Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage is not impressed either. The fact that Northern Ireland would continue to follow the rules of the European internal market, even though it is legally part of the UK customs system, is not sufficient for Farage.
The new chord actually means "no brexit," he tweets. "We will not go for anything else but for a clear brexit, Boris," he says. According to Farage, the agreement will lead to years of negotiations on a free trade agreement that we already know we will not get. To be honest, I think it must be rejected.
A number of proposed amendments are expected to be voted on by MEPs before the agreement is finally voted on. One of the announced amendments is probably about postponing the vote.
If it is accepted and there is a week's delay, there will be no more time to have the deal ready on time (before October 31). Johnson is then still forced to request a delay at EU against his will.
The House of Commons voted three times before a deal that the then Prime Minister Theresa May had concluded with Brussels.