Johnson wants Brussels to rule out no deal in exchange for a promise from him to get a deal through Parliament.

Overhasty comment on my part there, sorry. What I meant was "Brussels to rule out *an extension* in exchange for a promise from him to get a deal through Parliament, and all my comments were based on what I intended to say, not what I did.

The Times article is now available online.


Even if Johnson brought back the existing Withdrawal Agreement and persuaded all ERGers to swallow their pride and vote for it even with the hated backstop, and added everything Labour had asked for to the political declaration, I do not see how he could swing it, because the declaration is not binding, so he could just drop such declarations whenever he wanted, and no one trusts him not to do that. Perhaps his only hope of getting a majority would be to make it subject to a binding referendum but that could not be held without an extension.