Threat of no-deal Brexit looms on October 31 as Juncker ‘rules out’ extension

The head of the European Commission today threw out out giving the UK an EU membership extension beyond the end of the month – even if Boris Johnson asks for one.

MPs have been told they ‘have to’ approve the agreement to avoid crashing out with a no-deal Brexit, despite a law requiring the Prime Minister to request more time.

Jean-Claude Juncker categorically refused to extend Article 50, putting pressure on Westminster to accept Johnson’s last-minute agreement.

But he does not have the legal power to do this, as an extension will have to be voted on by the 27 EU member states.

The PM will face a battle to get his deal approved on Saturday, when Parliament will hold its first weekend session in 37 years.

Several parties, including the Democratic Unionist Party and Labour, have ruled out backing the proposal, which would see a customs border between Northern Ireland and the mainland.

Following days of intense negotiations, the PM said he had struck a ‘great new deal’, before heading to the summit of EU leaders in Brussels today.

But the DUP – which had propped up the Tory minority government – says they cannot accept it because of damage it would do to Northern Ireland’s economy.

They fear it could destabilise the region by undermining the Good Friday Agreement, forged in the 1990s to end decades of bloodshed during the Troubles.

The DUP has frequently dismissed any proposals which would see Northern Ireland treated any differently to the rest of the UK.

They also have raised concerns about still being subject to EU VAT rates after Brexit.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn criticised the idea of a customs border in the Irish Sea.

He said Johnson does not have the backing of ‘many of his allies on his own backbenches’.

When asked if his party would support the deal if it came with a second referendum, he warned against ‘speculation’.

SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon also ruled out backing the agreement, which she said would leave Scotland being ‘treated unfairly’.

Despite the hostile reception in Westminster, Juncker said the offer ‘has to’ be approved.

He added: ‘We have concluded a deal and so there is not an argument for further delay – it has to be done now.’

At an earlier press conference alongside Juncker, Johnson said the latest proposal would allow the UK to leave the EU ‘whole and entire’.

Appearing to appeal to DUP leader Arlene Foster, he said the ‘fair’ and ‘reasonable’ agreement would maintain peace in Northern Ireland and allow the UK to strike its own free trade deals.

Johnson needs to get a deal approved before the weekend if he is to avoid a major clash over asking for an extension beyond the current Halloween deadline.

The Benn Act, passed by no-deal opponents in the Commons, compels him to ask Brussels to delay Brexit to the end of January if a deal cannot secure a deal by Saturday.

But the PM has repeatedly ruled this out and Juncker now appears to be suggesting no other options are left, which could force some to accept the offer on the table.

The European Commission President said the next phase of negotiations on the UK’s relationship with the EU would begin ‘immediately’ after MPs approve the deal.