A8 EZ SU THE WASHINGTON POST.THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 , 2019
watched May negotiate positions
with the organization, then fail to
rally Parliament behind her. They
briefly hoped Johnson might be
more successful, but now they
said they believe they were
wrong.
E.U. Brexit negotiators said
they remain eager to see new
proposals from Johnson’s team.
But they are bracing for the im-
pact of a possible no-deal Brexit.
They have set aside $858 million
to help E.U. c ountries hurt by that
circumstance, redirecting money
intended to help victims of natu-
ral disasters and globalization.
“There’s a real problem with
Johnson, and it’s a problem The-
resa May didn’t have,” Keir Star-
mer, Labour’s Brexit negotiator,
said on Sky News. “People dis-
agreed with Theresa May, but
when she stood at the dispatch
box and said something, she
meant it and she was trusted.
“Johnson is not trusted. Even if
he says the election will be on the
15th of October, most people in
Parliament won’t believe him.
This is his central problem.”
At least one person remains
fully confident in Johnson. In the
Oval Office on Wednesday, Presi-
dent Trump said: “He’s a friend of
mine, and he’s going at it, there’s
no question about it. Boris knows
how to win. Don’t worry about
him.”
Johnson won one victory
Wednesday morning in one of
several legal cases that have been
filed over his decision to suspend
Parliament for five weeks. A judge
in Scotland’s highest civil court
ruled that the decision was law-
ful, but those who brought the
case — 7 5 lawmakers — could
appeal. There are similar legal
challenges in Northern Ireland
and in England.
[email protected]
[email protected]Michael Birnbaum in Brussels and
Laura Hughes in Washington
contributed to this report.son idolizes Churchill and wrote a
biography of him.
Bafflement over that expulsion
was summed up by Ruth David-
son, who stood down as the Con-
servatives’ leader in Scotland last
week.
“How, in the name of all that is
good and holy, is there no longer
room in the Conservative Party”
for Soames, she tweeted, using
the hashtag: #anofficerandagen-
tleman.The bill passed in the House of
Commons on Wednesday would
require Johnson, by Oct. 19, to
win parliamentary approval for a
Brexit deal or a no-deal one, or to
write to the E.U. seeking a three-
month delay on Brexit. With E.U.
agreement, the new Brexit date
would be Jan. 31.
In effect, the bill would delay
Brexit and forbid a no-deal one
next month without Parliament’s
approval — which it will not give.
It would give London three more
months to negotiate Brexit terms,
which it has been unable to do in
the past.
For years, E.U. diplomats“sensible, moderate and Con-
servative” l eader who wanted to
“deliver the mandate of the peo-
ple” by an Oct. 31 deadline, even if
that meant a no-deal Brexit with-
out agreements in place to regu-
late trade and other matters. He
accused his opponents of “dither,
delay and confusion” t hat would
guarantee more years of debate
and uncertainty about leaving the
E.U. And he dismissed predic-
tions of the economic harm of a
no-deal Brexit as “shameless
scaremongering.”
Johnson claimed that neither
he nor the British people want
another general election, which
would be the third in five years.
But his position rang hollow to
many observers. On Tuesday
morning he had a slim working
majority, by only one seat, in the
House of Commons. By Wednes-
day, after defections and excom-
munications, he was 43 seats
short of a working majority, mak-
ing it nearly impossible for him to
pass any legislation, even on non-
Brexit bills.
So an election may be inevi-
table — although maybe not on
Johnson’s terms. And he seems to
be pursuing a risky strategy.
Johnson has banned from his
party the 21 rebels who voted
against him on Tuesday. H e seems
to hope they will be replaced in
the next election by candidates
more loyal to him and his Brexit
vision. But those banned lawmak-
ers include some of the most
respected figures in the party,
including two former chancellors
of the exchequer, or finance min-
isters: Kenneth Clarke and Philip
Hammond.
“There has to be an election,
but Boris Johnson has damaged
his own party in the run-up to an
election,” said To nge, the profes-
sor.
Also banished, remarkably,
was Nicholas Soames, 71, former
prime minister Winston Chur-
chill’s grandson, who has served
in Parliament for 37 years. John-he does not think he will win.”
Corbyn is a far-left leader who
is deeply unpopular among many
Britons. But it is Johnson who is
in a profoundly weak position —
and risks falling into the same
quagmire that cost his predeces-
sor, Theresa May, her job.
A defiant Johnson led his first
“Prime Minister’s Questions” ses-
sion in Parliament on Wednesday
and demanded, “Let’s get Brexit
done.”
Johnson portrayed himself as acalled Johnson’s election motion
“a cynical move by a cynical
prime minister” who is trying to
sneak through a no-deal Brexit.
Before they would back an
election, Corbyn and his lieuten-
ants insisted on guaranteeing
against an October no-deal Brexit
with legislation approved by the
House of Lords and signed into
law.
Johnson couldn’t resist tweak-
ing Corbyn after the vote: “The
obvious conclusion I’m afraid isthree times in 24 hours.
“It’s the shortest honeymoon
in British political history,” said
Jon To nge, a politics professor at
the University of Liverpool, who
said Johnson is essentially in
government but not in power.
“Boris Johnson is in a terrible
mess.”
Things came to a head Wednes-
day night when lawmakers in the
House of Commons, as they had
the night before, defied Johnson’s
will and, this time, passed legisla-
tion seeking to avert a no-deal
Brexit on Oct. 31 and effectively
delay Brexit another three
months.
Opposition lawmakers were
joined by more than 20 rebel
members of Johnson’s Conserva-
tive Party to hand him a humiliat-
ing defeat.
The bill still needed to be
passed by the House of Lords,
which planned to debate all night
Wednesday but is expected to
give its approval.
Johnson accused lawmakers of
voting “to stop, to scupper any
serious negotiations.”
“I think it’s very sad that MPs
have voted like this. I think it’s a
great dereliction of their demo-
cratic duties,” he added.
An hour later, the House of
Commons served Johnson a de-
feat on his backup plan: a bill to
force an early national election
on Oct. 15. Johnson said voters
should get to choose whether he
or Labour Party leader Jeremy
Corbyn represents Britain at a
Brexit-focused meeting of E.U.
leaders on Oct. 17.
Johnson needed two-thirds of
the 650 members of the House of
Commons to support his call for a
general election, and he fell far
short, with just 298 votes. The
Labour Party’s 247 lawmakers ab-
stained from the vote.
“We want an election so we
look forward to turfing this gov-
ernment out,” Corbyn said. But he
BREXIT FROM A
Te rms of Brexit in doubt as Johnson faces parliamentary fire
BY AMIE FERRIS-ROTMANmoscow — Russia and India
agreed Wednesday to work on
military projects, in what marks
the second time in a week that
Moscow has offered collaboration
in the area of defense to a major
regional power.
The commitment was made
during talks between Russian
President Vladimir Putin and
Indian Prime Minister Narendra
Modi, who are in Vladivostok in
Russia’s Far East for an economic
forum.
Modi’s visit comes seven days
after Putin hosted his Turkish
counterpart, Recep Ta yyip Erdo-
gan, at an aviation show in Mos-
cow, during which the two dis-
cussed fighter jet cooperation, a
move that further strained
NATO-member Turkey’s tenserelationship with the United
States.
Russia and India, historical al-
lies that build nuclear plants to-
gether and have similar plans for
Kalashnikov automatic rifles, did
not give details about the military
cooperation but said it would “in-
clude establishing joint develop-
ment and production of military
equipment, spare parts and com-
ponents as well as improving thesystem of after sales services,”
according to a joint statement.
India, like Turkey, has agreed
to buy Russia’s S-400 missile sys-
tem. Doing so subjects India to
U.S. sanctions and prohibits its
military from participating in the
United States’ F-35 fighter jet
program. India has sought a sanc-
tions waiver from the United
States.
Wary of China, India and theUnited States have grown closer
in recent years, but warming rela-
tions did not stop the White
House from expressing its strong
opposition to India’s purchase of
the S-400 system. First deliveries
are expected next year.
India is also eager to engage
with Russia in the Arctic, the joint
statement said, where Moscow is
seeking partners as it expands its
influence.Washington has accused Mos-
cow of acting in a lawless manner
in the northern polar region,
where it recently built new mili-
tary bases.
India and Russia also said they
would continue their “legitimate”
trade and economic cooperation
with Iran, according to the state-
ment.
amie.ferris-rotman
@washpost.comRussia o≠ers military cooperation to India, after similar talks with Turkey
BY ANNE GEARAN
AND ROBERT COSTAPresident Trump stuck by em-
battled British Prime Minister
Boris Johnson on Wednesday, of-
fering encouragement for the
fight to take Britain out of the
European Union as the political
turmoil in Great Britain compli-
cated a week of European diplo-
macy for Vice President Pence.
Johnson has lost his majority
in Parliament just weeks into his
term, and British lawmakers are
in revolt over Johnson’s “do or
die” plan to effect Brexit by the
end of next month. His govern-
ment in chaos, Johnson failed
Wednesday in his effort to call a
new election on Oct. 15.
But Trump sounded unruffled
when asked about Johnson’s re-
versal of fortune on Wednesday.
“He’s a friend of mine, and he’s
going at it, there’s no question
about it,” Trump said, noting that
he had watched Johnson on tele-
vision earlier in the day. “Boris
knows how to win. Don’t worry
about him.”
No one was more gleeful than
Trump to see Johnson’s political
ascent on the back of the prom-
ised British withdrawal from the
E.U., and no other world leader
may have as much to lose from
the stunning political humilia-
tion of a populist brother-in-
arms.
If Johnson is unable to deliver
Brexit on time, or at all, or if he is
ousted as prime minister, his rise
and fall will be tied to Trump. The
president has been willing to look
past policy disagreements with
Johnson on Iran, climate change
and trade protectionism chiefly
because of Johnson’s Trump-like
rhetoric about the importance of
shedding E.U. control, analysts
said.
“It serves Trump’s purpose to
continue cheerleading for Boris
because he supports Brexit,” no
matter Johnson’s political peril,
said Amanda Sloat, a Europe spe-
cialist at the Brookings Institu-
tion.
Pence, who has been on a near-
ly week-long European tour, has
found himself in the middle of the
Brexit storm. The vice president,
who was in Iceland on Wednes-
day, was scheduled to arrive in
London late Wednesday ahead of
a Thursday meeting with John-
son.
Pence’s message, at stop after
stop across Europe, has been that
the United States stands with
Johnson in his cause, and he has
underscored the view that it’s
critical for the European Union to
negotiate in “good faith” with the
new prime minister. He has nota-
bly never leaned on Johnson, who
could be critical for a future
U.S.-U.K. trade agreement.
When asked in Reykjavik on
Wednesday whether the Trump
administration stands with John-
son amid the Brexit turbulence,
Pence made clear that the United
States was unwavering as he
spoke to reporters outside Hofdi
House, the site where Pence’s
political hero, Ronald Reagan,
once negotiated with Soviet lead-
er Mikhail Gorbachev.
“Make no mistake about it:
America respects the sovereignty
of the United Kingdom, respects
the will of the people of the
United Kingdom, and we respect
and support the U.K.’s decision to
leave the European Union,” Pence
said.
The White House looked past
the uncertainty to express confi-
dence that trade deals can be
reached with both Britain and the
E.U. once Brexit is complete.
“The United States enjoys
strong relationships with both
the UK and EU and we look
forward to continuing both after
Brexit,” a senior administration
official said in an email. “Looking
ahead, as the President has made
clear many times, the United
States is committed to negotiat-
ing a robust trade deal with the
UK after the UK leaves the EU. Asthe President said [at the recent
Group of Seven summit] in Biar-
ritz, [France,] we are also optimis-
tic about the chances of conclud-
ing a trade deal in the future
With the EU.”
The official spoke on the condi-
tion of anonymity because he was
not authorized to discuss the mat-
ter on the record.
Pence’s travels illustrate better
than anything how the United
States has forgone any effort to be
a mediator or go-between for
Britain, Ireland and Brussels,
Sloat said.
“It’s impossible,” s he said. “The
U.S. has just put its thumb so far
on one side of the issue.”
When Pence arrived in Shan-
non, Ireland, on Monday evening,
he sat inches away from Irish
Foreign Minister Simon Coveney
during a meeting at Shannon’s
airport that was friendly but
quickly drifted away from pleas-
antries as Coveney pleaded with
the vice president for more soli-
darity with Ireland on Brexit.Coveney warned of the “disrup-
tion” Brexit could cause Ireland,
in terms of rupturing the peace at
its northern border, and called it a
“huge issue for this country.”
He told Pence that Ireland can-
not tolerate upheaval at its free-
flowing border or new inspection
stops and hassles.
Pence, ever calm, responded by
saying he was “grateful for your
candor.” But he made no explicit
assurances about what the Unit-
ed States could promise on the
details of Brexit. Instead, he
broadly stated that he could “as-
sure you” t hat the Trump admin-
istration would work with the
United Kingdom and Ireland on a
“Brexit plan that encourages sta-
bility” and respects the Good Fri-
day Agreement that maintains
peace in Northern Ireland.
At a Tuesday news conference
in Dublin alongside Irish Prime
Minister Leo Varadkar, Pence
drew audible gasps from mem-
bers of the Irish media as he
generally sided with Johnson’sposition on Irish soil.
“A s the deadline for Brexit ap-
proaches, we urge Ireland, and
the E.U. as well, to negotiate in
good faith with Prime Minister
Johnson,” Pence said.
Varadkar made clear his gov-
ernment’s concerns.
“We as a government have to
stand our ground” on the Good
Friday agreement, Varadkar said.
“A ll I ask is that you bring that
message back to Washington with
you.”
Speaking to reporters later,
Pence was pressed on whether he
would push for the peace deal to
be maintained and make that a
priority for the United States.
“Let me leave the details to
others,” Pence said. “We’re going
to continue to affirm the impor-
tance of the Good Friday Agree-
ment, but we really believe that
there is an opportunity here, if all
parties would come to the table
and negotiate in good faith, to
achieve a Brexit in a way that
honors the sovereignty of theUnited Kingdom.”
In Iceland on Wednesday,
Pence said the United States
wants Britain and the E.U. to
“reach an agreement that will
meet the needs of the aspirations
of the people of the United King-
dom and also provide for an
orderly Brexit.”
Pence has nodded to the ten-
sions he has faced as the Trump
administration’s de facto spokes-
man in Europe amid Brexit, all as
he works to maintain close ties
with European nations beyond
Britain.
“We recognize this is a complex
issue,” Pence said Wednesday in
Iceland. “During our visit to Ire-
land yesterday, we were remind-
ed of the challenges that the
Republic of Ireland faces having a
contiguous border with the Unit-
ed Kingdom.”
The unraveling of Brexit added
urgency to Pence’s trip, which
some of his confidants had hoped
would be a showcase of his Irish
roots. He brought members of his
family, including his mother, on
the trip and spent Tuesday night
at Morrissey’s pub in Doonbeg,
which he once visited as a young
man in 1981.
“May G od hold you in the palm
of his hand,” Pence said at the
conclusion of his Tuesday news
conference, in one of several over-
tures to the Irish.
Irish headlines and columnists
nevertheless erupted with ire
about the vice president’s han-
dling of the charged moment in
Europe.
Miriam Lord, a columnist for
the Irish Times, wrote that Pence
“wastes no opportunity to go
misty-eyed about his love for the
‘Old Country’ as he lards on his
Mother Machree schtick on both
sides of the Atlantic.”
But, she added, “A s Pence read
from the autocue and Irish eyes
definitely stopped smiling, it was
clear he was channeling His Mas-
ter’s Voice. Trump is a fan of
Brexit and of Boris.”
[email protected]
[email protected]Costa reported from Reykjavik.Tr ump offers full support to U.K.’s embattled premier amid political uproar
Pence avoids specifics,
reiterates U.S. stance on
Brexit during Europe tripNEIL HALL/EPA-EFE/SHUTTERSTOCK
In six weeks, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has lost his
governing majority and exiled several honored party members.JACOB KING/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Vice President Pence arrives in Doonbeg, Ireland, on Tuesday with his wife, Karen, right, his sister,
left, and his mother. Pence found himself in the middle of the Brexit storm this week in Europe.“There’s a real problem
with Johnson, and it’s a
problem Theresa May
didn’t have. People
disagreed with Theresa
May, but when she...
said something, she
meant it and she was
trusted. Johnson is not
trusted.”
Keir Starmer, the Labour Party’s
Brexit negotiator