Westminstenders: Here we go again

[RedToothBrush]

Vote 12th March: Meaningful Vote on the Withdrawal Agreement

Vote 13th March: If WA fails, vote on No Deal

Vote 14th March: If WA fails, vote on A50 extension

Not much more to add at this stage that's not repeating what's been said before.

Oddschecker says Michael Gove ties with Boris????

The Guardian this morning had Johnson at 4/1, followed by Javid and, I think, Hunt at 8/1. I was surprised that Johnson was still in the lead.

The less Johnson says the better he fares.

If we are to consider a Tory leadership election, then the real question is what will the winner do with the no-deal they inherit ?

Meanwhile ...

wingsoverscotland.com/one-way-or-the-other/

I was surprised that Johnson was still in the lead.

Im not. All the racist tosspots that make up the Tory membership will vote for him if he's one of the last 2.

Over the last 48 hours, No10 has discussed with MPs the idea of making a unilateral statement declaring that it believes it is released from its obligation to stay in the backstop for more than a set number of years

No10 has suggested to MPs that it could say in a unilateral statement that it considers it “bad faith” on the part of the EU for the UK to be kept in the backstop for more than a period of up to five

Wtaf. How insulting. Why are the government acting like wilful toddlers?

The less Johnson says the better he fares.

He is suspiciously quiet, and like a small child when he's too quiet he's almost certainly up to no good.

It's probably the fear of having to pick up a no deal Brexit which is keeping TM in place at the moment ...

However, would the next Tory leader automatically become PM ? From memory the DUP deal was with the Tory party, not TM personally, but they might decide not to continue to support a different leader ?

In which case, could The Queen see if JC can form a government ?

Again that scenario is probably enough to keep the Tory rebels in check. TM really has them boxed in.

Was it Anna Soubry that said she'd leave the Tories rather than have Boris as leader ?

If I google Boris under the "news" heading he's not exactly been quiet:

Well whatever happens (unless a delay) in 18 days the UK's crack team of trade negotiators are going to be ripping into negotiations with the EU/USA/??? to get all the brilliant deals signed pronto.
Confident? I 'm not sure I am.

Over the last 48 hours, No10 has discussed with MPs the idea of making a unilateral statement declaring that it believes it is released from its obligation to stay in the backstop for more than a set number of years

Sounds like the sort of thing Idi Amin would have dreamt up. Or Kim Jong Il ....

DG Cox may have the final say in practice, because many Tory MPs are waiting for him to say there is a way out of the backstop before they will vote for the WA.

So if he told May he wasn't prepared to reassure MPs with what she obtained from Juncker, then she knows the WA won't pass.
Hence no point her agreeing to it

When did PM start worrying about legal advice, since Blair ?

He is suspiciously quiet, and like a small child when he's too quiet he's almost certainly up to no good.

He's got a neat new haircut. That says 'leadership bid' to me.

Until Brexit has happened, May would have to be dragged off kicking & screaming
I doubt she would resign, unless quid pro quo for the WA passing

Cooper has been brilliant today.

She gets my vote when Jeremy croaks.

We would be in a completely different place now had we had Cooper all the way through in opposition. I think she's fab.

The more desperate the govt are to be able to get out of the backstop,
the more they convince the EU that the backstop is necessary

With any bog-standard Labour leader, we wouldn't be in this mess
because long ago the Tories would have been worrying about being 20% behind in the polls
and hence negotiated realistically

Cooper has been brilliant today.

She gets my vote when Jeremy croaks.

It does feel like Corbyn will actually have to die to get the leadership from him, but I'm sure that wasn't your meaning of 'croaks'!

But yes, she's showing great leadership qualities.

Of course, with a different Labour leader, Remain would have probably won and avoided all this

ERG have been in to chief whips office and TM on way to Strasbourg to see Junker. So has anyone any idea wtf is happening? Also announcement to be made 9 pm no idea whether it will be TM and Junker or who. I suppose TM would not hop over to see her boyfriend Junker for absolutely no reason at all ( unless she can't bear not to see his face) would she?

Curiouser and curiouser, to continue the Alice in Wonderland theme from earlier!

Yvette would be brilliant. If she had been leader we would be in a very different position right now I think.

I'd like her to be leader and I think Jess Phillips should be on the front bench in her team.