And vowing to bring the Brexit wrangle to a conclusion at last, he is to signal the negotiations will be cancelled immediately if the EU refuses to seriously discuss his offer. “Let’s get Brexit done on October 31 so in 2020 our country can move on,” the Prime Minister will tell the Tory conference in his first keynote speech as party leader. He will also hit out at “forces in this country” seeking to stop Brexit, warning that voters are becoming fed up of “being taken for fools”. After 70 days of negotiations since he took charge, the new legal texts for a new deal will be presented to Brussels this afternoon shortly after he delivers his speech.
Downing Street officials made clear the documents will represent his final offer for a deal and said the EU will not be given the option of a Brexit delay.
In his speech, Mr Johnson is expected to say: “Voters are desperate for us to focus on their other priorities – what people want, what leavers want, what remainers want, what the whole world wants – is to move on.
“That is why we are coming out of the EU on October 31. Let’s get Brexit done — we can, we must and we will.”
He will launch a blistering attack on Jeremy Corbyn for threatening to plunge the UK into more chaos with his vow of fresh votes on the country’s EU membership and Scottish independence.
“Corbyn wants to turn the whole of 2020 – which should be a great year for this country – into the chaos and cacophony of two more referendums – a second referendum on Scottish independence, even though the people of Scotland were promised that the 2014 vote would be a once in a generation vote, and a second referendum on the EU, even though we were promised that the 2016 vote would be a once in a generation vote,” the Prime Minister will say.
Boris Johnson will lay out his Brexit plans in his speech (Image: Getty)
Boris will launch a blistering attack on Jeremy Corbyn (Image: Getty)
“Can you imagine another three years of this? That is the Corbyn agenda – stay in the EU beyond October 31, paying a billion pounds a month for the privilege, followed by years of uncertainty for business and everyone else.
“My friends, I am afraid that after three and a half years people are beginning to feel that they are being taken for fools.
“They are beginning to suspect that there are forces in this country that simply don’t want Brexit delivered at all.
“And if they turn out to be right in that suspicion then I believe there will be grave consequences for trust in democracy.”
Ahead of the submission of the legal texts, Downing Street officials warned that if Brussels does not engage with the offer then the Government will not negotiate further until we have left the EU.
They also made it clear that the Prime Minister will in no circumstances negotiate a delay at the forthcoming EU Council summit in Brussels on October 17.
A senior Number 10 official said: “The Government is either going to be negotiating a new deal or working on no deal — nobody will work on delay.
“We will keep fighting to respect the biggest democratic vote in British history.
“The EU is obliged by EU law only to negotiate with member state governments, they cannot negotiate with Parliament, and this government will not negotiate delay.”
Mr Johnson is still finalising the text of his hour-long conference speech tonight.
He is understood to have eschewed the usual practice of using a team of speechwriters, writing the entire address himself.
He is also known to have worked at break-neck speed to write the speech during the conference, in contrast to his predecessors who have staff working on drafts months in advance.
Boris Johnson and EU chief Jean-Claude Juncker (Image: Getty)
In his speech, he will not resile from using tough language and military metaphors to fight back against his opponents despite criticism of his forthright approach from opposition MPs over the past week.
He will repeatedly hit out at the so-called “Surrender Act” passed by MPs in their effort to block a no-deal Brexit.
In a new video message published online this evening, Mr Johnson said the Tories had announced a “huge domestic agenda” at their conference.
He said the government was investing in the biggest programme of hospital infrastructure in a generation as well as boosting broadband and investment in buses.
“I love buses, I’m a bus nut. It’s the best way often to get people to the opportunity areas, to the places where they have high-skilled high quality jobs.
“On that point, we are seeing the biggest expansion of the living wage ever and we are bringing the age down to 21 and we are going to be lifting the living wage up to £10.50 an hour.
“We want a high wage, high skilled, low tax, high productivity economy. That’s our plan.
“We are doing it with infrastructure, with technology and world-class education.”
