The perceived wisdom is that the Prime Minister must keep his word and take Britain out of the EU on 31 October, or face electoral humiliation, because he staked his reputation on do or die (i.e. on not being Theresa May). But would asking for an extension be so bad for him after all? Let’s say Johnson’s proposals are shot down and he is refused a deal by the EU that’s any different from May’s - something that's looking increasingly likely. On one level, he will have failed to get a deal as he has repeatedly said he would, but he could say that his version of the deal actually enjoyed fairly broad Parliamentary support, giving it a much better chance of passing than May’s. In that presentation, he looks like a pretty reasonable guy who’s been boxed in by the intransigent EU and a conniving opposition, and who’s been forced to ask for an extension by the Benn Act - what more can I do?
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