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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jun/17/boris-johnson-accused-of-making-mps-contradictory-brexit-promises
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| Boris Johnson accused of making contradictory Brexit promises to MPs | Boris Johnson accused of making contradictory Brexit promises to MPs |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Boris Johnson has been accused of giving MPs contradictory promises on Brexit to win their votes, as one of his highly Eurosceptic backers warned that hardliners want to see him effectively tear up Theresa May’s deal with the EU. | Boris Johnson has been accused of giving MPs contradictory promises on Brexit to win their votes, as one of his highly Eurosceptic backers warned that hardliners want to see him effectively tear up Theresa May’s deal with the EU. |
| The Conservative leadership frontrunner will face questions on his Brexit stance in a television grilling for the first time in the campaign on Tuesday, amid frustration among his rivals that he is getting away with pledging to be “all things to all MPs” on issues from Brexit to HS2 in one-on-one meetings with them. | The Conservative leadership frontrunner will face questions on his Brexit stance in a television grilling for the first time in the campaign on Tuesday, amid frustration among his rivals that he is getting away with pledging to be “all things to all MPs” on issues from Brexit to HS2 in one-on-one meetings with them. |
| His backers currently include most of parliament’s hardline Eurosceptics, as well as moderates including Matt Hancock, Robert Buckland and Damian Collins, raising questions about how he has won support across the spectrum. | His backers currently include most of parliament’s hardline Eurosceptics, as well as moderates including Matt Hancock, Robert Buckland and Damian Collins, raising questions about how he has won support across the spectrum. |
| Steve Baker, one of his hardline Eurosceptic backers, set out his belief that “too many leadership candidates think the backstop is the only problem with the withdrawal agreement”, arguing that it would also continue an unacceptable supremacy of EU law over UK law. | Steve Baker, one of his hardline Eurosceptic backers, set out his belief that “too many leadership candidates think the backstop is the only problem with the withdrawal agreement”, arguing that it would also continue an unacceptable supremacy of EU law over UK law. |
| The implication was that his preferred choice, Johnson, had told Eurosceptics that he would attempt a more thorough rewriting of the withdrawal agreement as well as meeting his strict deadline of leaving the EU by the end of October. Johnson is said to have told leading Eurosceptics in a private meeting that May’s deal was “dead”. | The implication was that his preferred choice, Johnson, had told Eurosceptics that he would attempt a more thorough rewriting of the withdrawal agreement as well as meeting his strict deadline of leaving the EU by the end of October. Johnson is said to have told leading Eurosceptics in a private meeting that May’s deal was “dead”. |
| But at the same time, Johnson has publicly said there would only be a very small chance of a no-deal Brexit under his premiership and has been reinforcing those assurances in meetings with moderate Conservatives. | But at the same time, Johnson has publicly said there would only be a very small chance of a no-deal Brexit under his premiership and has been reinforcing those assurances in meetings with moderate Conservatives. |
| In a ‘no deal’ scenario, the UK would leave the single market and the customs union immediately with no ‘divorce’ arrangement in place. The European Court of Justice would cease to have jurisdiction over the UK, and the country would also leave various other institutions including Euratom and Europol. | In a ‘no deal’ scenario, the UK would leave the single market and the customs union immediately with no ‘divorce’ arrangement in place. The European Court of Justice would cease to have jurisdiction over the UK, and the country would also leave various other institutions including Euratom and Europol. |
| The UK would no longer be paying into the EU budget, nor would it hand over the £39bn divorce payment. There would be no transition period. Free movement of people into the UK from the EU27 would stop. | The UK would no longer be paying into the EU budget, nor would it hand over the £39bn divorce payment. There would be no transition period. Free movement of people into the UK from the EU27 would stop. |
| Trade between the UK and the EU would be governed by basic WTO rules. The UK government has already indicated that it will set low or no tariffs on goods coming into the country. This would lower the price of imports - making it harder for British manufacturers to compete with foreign goods. If the UK sets the tariffs to zero on goods coming in from the EU, under WTO ‘most favoured nation’ rules it must also offer the same zero tariffs to other countries. | Trade between the UK and the EU would be governed by basic WTO rules. The UK government has already indicated that it will set low or no tariffs on goods coming into the country. This would lower the price of imports - making it harder for British manufacturers to compete with foreign goods. If the UK sets the tariffs to zero on goods coming in from the EU, under WTO ‘most favoured nation’ rules it must also offer the same zero tariffs to other countries. |
| WTO rules only cover goods - they do not apply to financial services, a significant part of the UK’s economy. Trading under WTO rules will also require border checks, which could cause delays at ports, and a severe challenge to the peace process in Ireland without alternative arrangements in place to avoid a hard border. | WTO rules only cover goods - they do not apply to financial services, a significant part of the UK’s economy. Trading under WTO rules will also require border checks, which could cause delays at ports, and a severe challenge to the peace process in Ireland without alternative arrangements in place to avoid a hard border. |
| Some ‘No Deal’ supporters have claimed that the UK can use Article 24 of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (Gatt) to force the EU to accept a period of up to ten years where there are no tariffs while a free trade agreement (FTA) is negotiated. However, the UK cannot invoke Article 24 unilaterally - the EU would have to agree to it. In previous cases where the article has been used, the two sides had a deal in place, and it has never been used to replicate something of the scale and complexity of the EU and the UK’s trading relationship. | Some ‘No Deal’ supporters have claimed that the UK can use Article 24 of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (Gatt) to force the EU to accept a period of up to ten years where there are no tariffs while a free trade agreement (FTA) is negotiated. However, the UK cannot invoke Article 24 unilaterally - the EU would have to agree to it. In previous cases where the article has been used, the two sides had a deal in place, and it has never been used to replicate something of the scale and complexity of the EU and the UK’s trading relationship. |
| Until some agreements are in place, a ‘no deal’ scenario will place extra overheads on UK businesses - for example the current government advice is that all drivers, including lorries and commercial vehicles, will require extra documentation to be able to drive in Europe after 31 October if there is no deal. Those arguing for a ‘managed’ no deal envisage that a range of smaller sector-by-sector bilateral agreements could be quickly put into place as mutual self-interest between the UK and EU to avoid introducing or rapidly remove this kind of bureaucracy. | Until some agreements are in place, a ‘no deal’ scenario will place extra overheads on UK businesses - for example the current government advice is that all drivers, including lorries and commercial vehicles, will require extra documentation to be able to drive in Europe after 31 October if there is no deal. Those arguing for a ‘managed’ no deal envisage that a range of smaller sector-by-sector bilateral agreements could be quickly put into place as mutual self-interest between the UK and EU to avoid introducing or rapidly remove this kind of bureaucracy. |
| Martin Belam | Martin Belam |
| Dominic Raab’s backers believe their chances of securing Eurosceptic votes have been stunted by his unwillingness to tell them he would entirely rip up the withdrawal agreement – something he has told would-be backers he believes would be impossible to achieve by 31 October. | Dominic Raab’s backers believe their chances of securing Eurosceptic votes have been stunted by his unwillingness to tell them he would entirely rip up the withdrawal agreement – something he has told would-be backers he believes would be impossible to achieve by 31 October. |
| “Boris has been telling colleagues, of course, ‘I’ll rip up the whole thing,’ yet he’s also securing the votes of centrists like Oliver Dowden,” one MP said. “You could say some of us have been naive not to campaign that way, but also that can really come back to haunt you.” | “Boris has been telling colleagues, of course, ‘I’ll rip up the whole thing,’ yet he’s also securing the votes of centrists like Oliver Dowden,” one MP said. “You could say some of us have been naive not to campaign that way, but also that can really come back to haunt you.” |
| One rival camp also claimed Johnson had been leaving some MPs with the impression that he was in favour of the HS2 rail project, while others believed that he was against it. Johnson announced in the Birmingham Post on Monday that he would set up a review to “look at the business case for HS2 and to think about whether and how we proceed”. | One rival camp also claimed Johnson had been leaving some MPs with the impression that he was in favour of the HS2 rail project, while others believed that he was against it. Johnson announced in the Birmingham Post on Monday that he would set up a review to “look at the business case for HS2 and to think about whether and how we proceed”. |
| Johnson has been able to avoid questions about the detail of his Brexit plan as he declined to take part in Channel 4’s debate on Sunday and has only done one newspaper interview since the contest began, plus private hustings for party members and MPs. | Johnson has been able to avoid questions about the detail of his Brexit plan as he declined to take part in Channel 4’s debate on Sunday and has only done one newspaper interview since the contest began, plus private hustings for party members and MPs. |
| At a hustings for journalists in Westminster where Johnson did not turn up, Rory Stewart, one of his rivals, criticised him for seeming to face both ways on Brexit. “Somehow he’s convinced Matt Hancock that he agrees with every word that Matt says, that he’s in favour of the softest of soft Brexits; he’s convinced Robert Buckland that he would never go for a no-deal; and at the same time he’s got Mark Francois roaring: ‘This man looked me in the eyes and promised we’re going out on the hardest of no-deal Brexits,’” Stewart said. | At a hustings for journalists in Westminster where Johnson did not turn up, Rory Stewart, one of his rivals, criticised him for seeming to face both ways on Brexit. “Somehow he’s convinced Matt Hancock that he agrees with every word that Matt says, that he’s in favour of the softest of soft Brexits; he’s convinced Robert Buckland that he would never go for a no-deal; and at the same time he’s got Mark Francois roaring: ‘This man looked me in the eyes and promised we’re going out on the hardest of no-deal Brexits,’” Stewart said. |
| As she announced on 24 May, Theresa May stepped down formally as Conservative leader on Friday 7 June, although she remains in place as prime minister until her successor is chosen. | As she announced on 24 May, Theresa May stepped down formally as Conservative leader on Friday 7 June, although she remains in place as prime minister until her successor is chosen. |
| MPs hold a series of votes, in order to narrow down the initially crowded field to two leadership hopefuls. | MPs hold a series of votes, in order to narrow down the initially crowded field to two leadership hopefuls. |
| How does the voting work? | How does the voting work? |
| MPs choose one candidate, in a secret ballot held in a committee room in the House of Commons. The votes are tallied and the results announced on the same day. | MPs choose one candidate, in a secret ballot held in a committee room in the House of Commons. The votes are tallied and the results announced on the same day. |
| In the first round any candidate who won the support of less than 17 MPs was eliminated. In the second round anybody reaching less than 33 votes was eliminated. In subsequent rounds the bottom placed contender drops out until there are only two left. The campaign will conclude on 20 June, with multiple rounds of voting during the day as necessary. | In the first round any candidate who won the support of less than 17 MPs was eliminated. In the second round anybody reaching less than 33 votes was eliminated. In subsequent rounds the bottom placed contender drops out until there are only two left. The campaign will conclude on 20 June, with multiple rounds of voting during the day as necessary. |
| When will the results be announced? | When will the results be announced? |
| Once MPs have whittled down the field to two, Conservative party HQ takes over the running of the next stage, the postal ballot of members. It says this will be completed in the week beginning Monday 22 July. | |
| With Johnson absent from the airwaves, his supporters, including Johnny Mercer and James Cleverly, have been dispatched to defend his positions. BBC 5 Live’s Emma Barnett even asked Mercer how many children Johnson had, which he batted away as an intrusion into the frontrunner’s private life. | With Johnson absent from the airwaves, his supporters, including Johnny Mercer and James Cleverly, have been dispatched to defend his positions. BBC 5 Live’s Emma Barnett even asked Mercer how many children Johnson had, which he batted away as an intrusion into the frontrunner’s private life. |
| Johnson is expected to cement his position as the favourite in another round of voting on Tuesday, while Sajid Javid, Stewart and Raab are all battling to get 33 votes from fellow MPs in order to stay in the race. | Johnson is expected to cement his position as the favourite in another round of voting on Tuesday, while Sajid Javid, Stewart and Raab are all battling to get 33 votes from fellow MPs in order to stay in the race. |
| Each of the three camps suggested they were quietly confident of getting the number if all MPs who had promised to vote for their candidate followed through on their pledge. If all reach that number, the lowest-scoring candidate will drop out. | Each of the three camps suggested they were quietly confident of getting the number if all MPs who had promised to vote for their candidate followed through on their pledge. If all reach that number, the lowest-scoring candidate will drop out. |
| Jeremy Hunt and Michael Gove are already past that threshold so are likely to stay in the contest, but sources in their camps said they were not expecting a great increase in supporters on the last round. | Jeremy Hunt and Michael Gove are already past that threshold so are likely to stay in the contest, but sources in their camps said they were not expecting a great increase in supporters on the last round. |
| MPs from all camps said Stewart appeared to have some momentum behind him, as he unveiled David Lidington, Theresa May’s deputy, as his newest high-profile backer, and also gained the support of former chairman Dame Caroline Spelman. | MPs from all camps said Stewart appeared to have some momentum behind him, as he unveiled David Lidington, Theresa May’s deputy, as his newest high-profile backer, and also gained the support of former chairman Dame Caroline Spelman. |
| Gove attempted to halt the flow of former remain-supporting Tories to Stewart by writing in the Times that it would be “a mistake to put forward two candidates into the final round who will polarise our party”. | Gove attempted to halt the flow of former remain-supporting Tories to Stewart by writing in the Times that it would be “a mistake to put forward two candidates into the final round who will polarise our party”. |
| A source in the Stewart campaign said it would be “tight” as to whether he would make the jump from 19 supporters in the first round to 33 in the second, but they believed they had just about enough pledges. | A source in the Stewart campaign said it would be “tight” as to whether he would make the jump from 19 supporters in the first round to 33 in the second, but they believed they had just about enough pledges. |
| His colourful past also came under scrutiny as he denied in a hustings ever having worked for the MI6 intelligence agency. However, the Telegraph quoted security sources claiming that Stewart had been employed as a spy for about seven years in his 20s. | His colourful past also came under scrutiny as he denied in a hustings ever having worked for the MI6 intelligence agency. However, the Telegraph quoted security sources claiming that Stewart had been employed as a spy for about seven years in his 20s. |
| Jeremy Hunt defends Donald Trump's attack on Sadiq Khan | Jeremy Hunt defends Donald Trump's attack on Sadiq Khan |
| MPs will vote on their favoured candidates on Tuesday afternoon and then those left in the race will compete in a BBC debate at 8pm – the first television appearance by Johnson since the race kicked off. | MPs will vote on their favoured candidates on Tuesday afternoon and then those left in the race will compete in a BBC debate at 8pm – the first television appearance by Johnson since the race kicked off. |
| All the other candidates have been critical of his low profile in the contest so far, but some have toned down their attacks in recent days as MPs are increasingly seeing his path to victory as unstoppable. | All the other candidates have been critical of his low profile in the contest so far, but some have toned down their attacks in recent days as MPs are increasingly seeing his path to victory as unstoppable. |
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