Johnson can win election on Brexit deal, says Varadkar

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has told his TDs and senators he believes British prime minister Boris Johnson could win an election if his campaign is based on the new EU-UK Brexit deal. Speaking at the weekly parliamentary party meeting in Leinster House, Mr Varadkar is understood to have said: “I think he will win the election.”

Part sources said he told the meeting that Mr Johnson could call an election in a few weeks and that he could seek it “on the deal”. However, there was no discussion regarding any possible snap election in Ireland or when Mr Varadkar may seek one.

Observers in Leinster House now believe it may take weeks for Mr Johnson to pass his Brexit deal legislation through Westminster. This follows a failure this week to fast-track the deal through parliament. The further delay almost certainly rules out any possibility of any snap election being called here by the first week in November.

However, with numerous scenarios in Britain relating to the Brexit deal and its legislation, there is still a possibility of a general election being triggered there next month. Meanwhile, Fine Gael parliamentary party chairman Martin Heydon confirmed last night that Mr Varadkar told his TDs and senators it could be next Monday before a decision is reached on a Brexit extension for the UK.

EU leaders are currently considering this request from Britain and European Council president Donald Tusk has recommended that an extension be granted.

However, there are mixed feelings among EU leaders about how long any extension should be, whether it should last until next January or whether it should be flexible depending on if and when the British parliament back any Brexit deal.

Elsewhere, Mr Varadkar also discussed the Dáil voting scandal with his party last night and said it was “very serious” for a TD to vote for someone else if they were not in the chamber.

He also argued that there had been a “real attempt by Fianna Fáil” to try and “muddy the waters” by making formal complaints about Fine Gael ministers reportedly caught up in Dáil voting incidents.