The morning after Boris Johnson’s “super Saturday” stumble, the battle lines were drawn for what will be another crucial week ahead.
Michael Gove insisted the UK will leave the EU by October 31 despite the government being forced to ask Brussels for a delay.
Asked if he could guarantee that the UK would leave by the end of this month, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster told Sky News’ Ridge on Sunday: “Yes, that’s our determined policy. We know that the EU want us to leave, we know that we have a deal that allows us to leave.”
Gove said the parliamentary defeat yesterday actually meant a no-deal Brexit was now more, not less, likely.
“The risk of leaving without a deal has actually increased because we cannot guarantee that the European Council will grant an extension,” he said.
Gove also revealed he had placed a bet with Health Secretary Matt Hancock over the outcome of the next vote on Johnson’s deal. The Daily Mirror revealed the winner would get a bottle of wine.
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told the BBC’s Andrew Marr show he believed the government could get its deal through parliament.
With the Withdrawal Agreement Bill set to go to the Commons in the coming days, perhaps as soon as Monday, Raab said: “We seem to have the numbers in the House of Commons.”
For his part, Oliver Letwin insisted he was not trying to secretly block Brexit and did not have any more clever moves up his sleeve. “There will be no more Oliver Letwin amendments next week,” he told Marr.
In a boost for Johnson, former cabinet minister Amber Rudd, who quit the Tory whip, said she would back his deal when it came back for a vote. “I think there is a coalition for getting the prime minister’s deal through,” she told Sky News.
“I do think it will get through. I also point out there are several Labour MPs who have said they will support the prime minister’s legislation now because the amendment got through.”
Speaking about those Labour MPs who plan to Jeremy Corbyn and vote for the deal, John McDonnell told Ridge “the whips will deal with them in the normal way”.
The shadow chancellor added: “Thank goodness I’m not the Chief Whip.”
McDonnell also accused the PM of “behaving like a spoilt brat” for refusing to sign the letter send to Brussels to extend Article 50 and for following it up with a second letter asking EU leaders not to grant it.
He added that Johnson “may well be in contempt of parliament or the courts” by “trying to undermine” the request for a delay ordered by the Commons.
In a sign of what the main focus next week will be, Keir Starmer told Marr Labour would throw its weight behind any amendments that tried to attach a second referendum or a customs union to Johnson’s deal.
The shadow Brexit secretary said he expected a backbench MP to try and amend the withdrawal bill to add on the requirement for a public vote.
Asked if Labour would back it, he said: “Yes”.
“Whatever deal gets through, it should be subject to a referendum,” he added.
“We have already voted, I think, three times as a party for a second referendum with a three-line whip behind it.
“What we are trying to achieve is, this deal in particular but any deal, is put up against remain in a referendum.
“The position we have adopted is whatever the outcome, whether it’s Boris Johnson’s bad deal or a better one which could be secured, it has got to go to a referendum up against remain.”