British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has refused to be drawn on whether he had asked one of his fellow European Union leaders to veto an extension to the scheduled Brexit departure date on Oct. 31.
The House of Commons has sought to block a departure without an agreement, arguing that such an arrangement would disrupt trade and plunge the economy into recession.
Parliament’s measure will force Johnson to seek a delay if a deal hasn’t been approved by Oct. 19. Johnson told the BBC that EU leaders would be reluctant to keep a “truculent” U.K. in the bloc, and sidestepped the question of whether he had asked any EU leaders to offer a veto.
Johnson headed Sunday to the Conservative Party conference in Manchester, where the party was expected to endorse government plans to spend more on the country’s National Health Service.
