No election, no more extension – Johnson to EU

British prime minister Boris Johnson has written to the EU saying the 27 other states should deny any further Brexit extensions if the British MPs refuse to back a general election.

It comes as Mr Johnson lost a vote last night on holding an election on December 12.

To succeed he needed the support of two-thirds of the MPs. He has now said he will try again today to introduce a short bill changing the law so as to hold an election on that day – which could pass if he obtains a simple majority. There are indications however that the government may be slightly flexible on what date is acceptable.

Campaigners for British citizens abroad in the EU are urging people to ensure they are registered to vote and to arrange a proxy if possible.

The ambassadors for the 27 EU states have agreed unanimously to give a ‘flexible’ extension to the end of January, meaning that Brexit could happen before that if the deal is ratified earlier. The extension is expected to be announced formally later today after being agreed in a ‘written procedure’ among the leaders.

In a letter to European Council president Donald Tusk yesterday Mr Johnson said the extension to January 31 was ‘imposed’ on his government by the MPs and was ‘unwanted’ and ‘damaging’.

He said he feared the current parliament would continue to delay ratification of the Brexit deal if given the chance – an election is therefore essential, he said.

“But in case Parliament resists this too, I would urge EU member states to make clear that a further extension after January 31 is not possible. This is plenty of time to ratify our deal.”

The British in Europe campaign group coalition says Britons abroad in the EU should, if possible, put a proxy in place so that someone can vote in person for you.

“Mid-December will be even more dire for postal votes than usual,” the group said in a Facebook page post, probably due to the votes potentially getting mixed up in Christmas post.

Past elections and the Brexit referendum repeatedly saw a number of Britons in France left disappointed due to postal ballots not arriving in time to be returned - though this has varied depending on which local council was sending them out.

Anyone can be your proxy, but the person must be a registered UK voter and they must be able to physically go to your former constituency and vote.

Please note also that getting ready for British elections from abroad is a two-fold process – you must be registered, and you must separately request a postal or proxy vote.

Even if you believe you are registered, it is advisable to check with your council in the UK that this is correct and that it knows your wishes.

For more information see https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote and for tips from British in Europe see https://registertovote.britishineurope.org/