To wonder whether Johnson has broken the law with his ridiculous three letters to the EU, and to wonder what will happen now

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Johnson has sent a letter to the EU, three letters in fact, asking for an extension. One saying he is complying with the law, one reproducing part of the Benn Act but not signing it as he is supposed to, and one telling the EU that he doesn’t actually want an extension or words to that effect.

Childish, arrogant and idiotic - IMO yes. Has he broken the law and WTF will the rest of the EU make of this?

*wouldn’t

The PM wrote two letters to the EU at the same time, saying entirely opposite things. Strange times.

The PM wrote two letters to the EU at the same time, saying entirely opposite things. Strange times

Mmmmm he’s not had form for this before has he 😂

He’s an awful excuse for a human

Worth watching this... I love Rachel, an ordinary Mum in the street (probably a MNer) who demolishes the arguments against a second Referendum.

God, who would have thought. A mum with a baby on her hip could have something intelligent to say.

I still fail to see how a second referendum is undemocratic.

We've got far more information that we had previously, times have changed, a vast amount of people have become of voting age.

We have regularly general elections - they aren't undemocratic.

The will of the people has likely changed, the force them to go along with something from years previously, which has been proven to be misleading is surely the undemocratic thing?

Honestly I don't know how I feel about Bozza but you can't deny the guy is highly intelligent. If you read about him, his background, his education. He may look a fool but there's definitely more to him.
I don't understand why. I dont think he's stupid but I also don't get why people think he's so intelligent or as someone put it to me "a great orator". He's really not. He's a product of a background and education which seem to give an enormous sense of entitlement with very little in the way of a moral compass.

making the remain MPs look like idiots for voting down a deal?

There hasn’t been a vote on this deal yet so it can’t have been voted down.

The reason we haven’t had Brexit so far is because Leavers voted down Theresa May’s deal. Don’t blame Remainers for not having left yet, blame Jacob Rees Mogg and his crew for voting down deals.

I mean a lot of people are more intelligent than him but for some reason there are a lot of people who think dropping a few words of Latin into your speech makes you a genius. It doesn't.

He may look a fool but there's definitely more to him. That's what makes him so dangerous. The lovable buffoon is an act while he does what he does best-looking after himself and playing manipulative games.

And don't forget-this was the second referendum on the subject. The first one voted us in. So if you're arguing we shouldn't have another, you're arguing against the latest one too.

I agree with smemorata - given Johnson's social and economic background he has done as well as was expected of him. I have seen nothing that suggests anything more than average intelligence. He certainly seems very unaware of how he comes across. I had to study Latin and Greek as a teen so throwaway quotes and references to ancient texts don't impress me and I actually find them irritating as they are irrelevant to Brexit and he uses them as a distraction from his incompetence. Knowledge, education and intelligence don't necessarily overlap. He is not the right person for the job.

*This isn’t a deal. It’s just a transition period for a deal but it doesn’t protect us from No Deal

That is why there’s so much resistance.

8 months to agree a trade deal, where the intention is to massively diverge from EU standard is not enough time.*

But if this deal was passed (and if it’s not) we need a GE. The way to secure workers rights etc is for Labour to win that election. The only thing against the argument is the Tories will win a ge?

If the deal isn’t passed and we have a GE and the Tories win, then we’re worse off than now.

I don’t know who people think will win a ge that will mean remain?

The nation is divided over Brexit but ovted to leave. I voted remain but I support the fact we should leave (and on 31 Oct). The EU27 know more time does not mean MPs agree anything. MPs have chosen to reject Mrs May's WA 3 times, they won't vote to revoke Artr 50. They will not agree to crash out. They will agree nothing which is frustrating for the people and the Government.

Presumably if EU27 say they will not extent time MPs might pass the latest WA and we leave on 31st or if not then we crash out on 31st.

It's a clever move IMO. He's playing to the electorate- 'look my hands are tied but I'm trying my best to implement the democratic result'. It's working too if current opinion polls are anything to go by.

As a leader of an EU country, will BJ be involved in deciding whether to grant the UK an extension? Maybe he'll get the deciding vote.

God, who would have thought. A mum with a baby on her hip could have something intelligent to say

I was applauding her from the rooftops, not demeaning her. Don't be so snippy

What Johnson has done is utterly childish and pathetic - as someone said on Twitter, akin to scribbling over a parking fine with crayons in the hope that of annulling it.

This. The general view amongst lawyers who know about such things is "Meh". The typewritten signature is perfectly valid, the side letters don't impact on the letter requesting an extension at all, and what is important is whether the EU treats it as a formal request for an extension - which it is doing.

Essentially all Johnson is doing is trying to mollify readers of the Sun and Mail, most of whom rather pathetically seem to think he's done something clever and who are doomed, yet again, to disappointment.

I think he’s broken the law because an unsigned legal document is never valid. Him sending an unsigned extension letter is like sending a draft. It’s not legally valid as an extension request.

It was obviously pathetic. However as it doesn't change the legal position, he sent the letter as required and it is valid, I think the courts will be disinclined to do anything. They've really only acted when their hands have been forced, during this whole shitshow. There's the Padfield case, but I don't think doing something that's petulant but that nobody could reasonably think is going to affect his compliance with the law is a breach of that.

Lawyers on twitter seem to think the lack of signature is irrelevant.

Donald Tusk has done the adult thing, ignored the sideshow and accepted the extension request.

He is a childish, arrogant twat. As if our country didn't look ridiculous enough already...
The argument that a second referendum would be undemocratic is laughable and tantamount to saying too much voting is anti-democratic. In 2016 what 'leave' meant was unclear. Now people have seen the Yellowhammer report, witnessed the fact that no-one has yet been able to articulate how Brexit will benefit the country, have seen the impact assessments, etc. Whether or not they've read them is a different matter, of course. A lot of people don't bother to look beyond the headlines and much of the MSM is keen on Brexit. Given who owns the MSM, it's hardly surprising.

It is irrelevant. There's case law on the lack of signature on contracts but I forget what it is. And nothing in the Benn Act requires the letter to be signed either. I don't believe Johnson didn't know that either. He's playing to the gallery. Some of the people who were Tory, then went Brexit and he has now won back or is in the process of winning will be sufficiently blinded by their ideology not to realise any of this.

He's playing to the gallery.

It’s Dominic Cummings playing to the gallery. Sam Freedman on twitter who used to work with Cummings says that the unsigned photocopy being sent is exactly the sort of thing Cummings used to do to play to the press when he worked with Gove in Education.

Well whoever it is, it's aimed at giving a quick tickle to the clits of the ignorant.

The EU will agree to an extension if needed, its wishful thinking to hope otherwise. Issue is whether it will actually be needed. Not impossible that the agreement will pass before then.

Other lawyers on Twitter are also saying the letter is not in full compliance with the Benn Act.
Case law on contracts requires either signature or performance by BOTH parties showing they intend the legal agreement to be binding. BJs performance had been anything but vague. He has repudiated the idea of an extension in his speeches to Parliament and the public, and he has written another letter that he HAS signed stating he doesn’t want the EU to agree to an extension.