With a General Election on the way in Britain, what’s the state of play with Brexit?
Despite all the jumping up and down by MPs in Parliament, the country is no nearer Brexit now than at any other time since the vote to leave in June 2016.
The European Union has agreed a stay until January 31, 2020 to allow for the General Election on December 12.
What happens after that is unclear and depends who wins control at Westminster.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is hoping his Conservative Party will sweep to victory on a pledge of completing Brexit and breaking the deadlock in Parliament that frustrates his bid to pass his Withdrawal Bill or any other meaningful legislation.
Who’s leading in the polls?
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn seems to have no Brexit plan. He’s for leaving the EU with a deal, but wants to stay in the customs union, which gives Britain no powers in the bloc but makes the country subject to all the rules passed in Brussels and Strasbourg.
Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson is calling for a cancellation of Article 50 – the treaty clause that triggers Brexit – and for Britain to remain a fully paid-up member of the EU.
The polls suggest Johnson will win a governable majority, Labour will be stripped of dozens of seats and Swinson’s bid to become PM will soon be forgotten.
But the polls at this stage, with five weeks to go to polling day on December 12, are traditionally unreliable, which means watch this space as anything might happen.
Vulnerable and dithering
The worst result would be another hung parliament giving no side a clear majority, which would put the country back into the tiresome mode of deadlock over Brexit.
Labour look the weakest contenders.
Corbyn comes across as a ditherer with out-dated left wing intentions backed by his activist supporters in the Momentum faction. Unfortunately for him, Momentum is an echo chamber that cheers on his old-fashioned socialist views that do not seem to have any wider support in the electorate.
Every party is looking to win seats from vulnerable Labour trying to promote Remainer policies in constituencies that voted for Brexit in the referendum.
