Now I've heard it all! Brussels is going to offer the UK an extension to the Article 50 process to help Boris Johnson save the Conservative Party.
PLEASE WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW:
According to an article in the Guardian, the EU is gearing up to offer the UK a further Brexit extension to help Boris, if he becomes the new leader, to keep the Tory party from imploding.
And the article says:
"Brussels is preparing to offer Boris Johnson a no-deal Brexit extension beyond 31 October in an attempt to help him keep the Conservative party together and provide one more chance to strike an agreement deal."
And goes on to quote an unnamed senior EU diplomat as saying:
"It will be described as a technical delay to save Boris from political embarrassment but then we will have time to find an agreement."
I've got to say that the only real political embarrassment Boris could suffer from, would be to accept such a proposal and not leave the EU on the 31st of October – it would be a politically terminal embarrassment for both he and the Tory party.
But there is of course the sting in the tail – it looks like it would come with a hard requirement for the UK to accept any financial commitments to the EU that are foisted on us.
So, it's all about the money then.
The Guardian also reports that Brussels now thinks that the chance a no deal has receded significantly – so, by stripping out the ability to prorogue parliament, that pack of Remainers in both houses of parliament that are 100% intent on keeping the UK locked into the EU whatever the economic or political cost, have managed to make it much more difficult for the new Prime Minister to negotiate hard with the European Union.
Anyway, the main thrust of this Brexit extension approach would be to give Boris the ability to spin an extension as a no-deal withdrawal preparation period, while still continuing to try and come to a deal.
But this of course embeds us more firmly into the EU during the ensuing months.
More integrationist laws will be passed, more power handed over to Brussels and we would also need to appoint a new UK Commissioner to the EU Commission after the 1st of November and I think this possible approach from the EU has a lot to do with that.
As I've pointed out before, the current UK Commissioner on the EU Commission, Julian King, is due to leave before the new EU27 Commission is formed on the 1st of November, the day after we are due to leave the EU.
Now, under an EU Council decision, the number of Commissioners on the EU Commission must be equal to the number of member states. So, with the UK Commissioner there are at present 28 of them. And on the day after we leave the EU, the new commission will have 27 Commissioners – unless they change the rules in the meantime of course, which is unlikely.
So if Article 50 is extended, which means we are still a full EU member on and after the 1st of November, then one assumes we would also have a Commissioner. Or else one of the other member states would have two commissioners – not sure how that would go down.
And I would assume that to make this effective they would have to put a name forward and have that person vetted by the EU Council and accepted by the EU Parliament prior to them taking office.
And, if it's just for a short period then they need to be named early so that if there is a short extension that person would be ready to go from the 1st of November.
Once that happens, we're set for the next full five year term. A full term to reverse Brexit, with the only pressure coming in 2022 when the next General Election is due.
Remember, that our Establishment in cahoots with Brussels (actually I think it's all just one big amorphous Establishment) but they managed to find a reason to hold those hugely expensive EU elections in May, didn't they? They managed that with only a bit of mild grumbling and moaning from Brexiteers and the general public. I can tell you that Remainers were cock-a-hoop and celebrating.
Even though the Remainers did badly in the actual elections, they view it as a small price to pay to keep us in the EU.
So how hard do you think it would be, for the Establishment to manoeuvre a single person into a Commissioner post?
It will be played very low key and sold on the basis of a short term need. But the truth is, that it is one of the required lynch-pins to keeping the UK inside the EU.
I reckon mid to late September will see a quiet, UK announcement, just as the other EU27 members states have their proposed Commissioners going through the EU acceptance hoops.
So watch out for it.
And also watch out for who, in which organisations and parties actually kicks up a real fuss!
And don't you think it funny that no-one has asked either Boris Johnson or Jeremy Hunt the question of whether they rule out appointing a new UK Commissioner to the EU Commission?
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