Thought Brexit Mess Couldn't Get Worse? It Has

(Bloomberg) --

Just when you thought Brexit couldn’t get any more intractable, it’s plunged further into the absurd.

Frustrated by Parliament from leaving the European Union on Oct. 31, Boris Johnson’s drive to break the deadlock  with an election relies on the same lawmakers to go along with him.

But the main opposition Labour Party isn’t rolling over. Its leader Jeremy Corbyn says his decision depends on the length of a Brexit extension expected to be granted by EU governments. EU officials say they require clarity from London and today deferred a decision until after Parliament votes on Monday.

“It’s our duty to end this nightmare,” Johnson told Corbyn in a letter. The premier plans to suspend all efforts at legislating in the “zombie Parliament” and press relentlessly for a fresh ballot.

That offers no guarantee of resolution. Johnson’s Conservatives lead Labour in polls, but Brexit has shredded the fabric of party politics, making the outcome unpredictable.

The country is in a febrile mood. New research by the Future of England Survey, meanwhile, showed most voters on both sides of the Brexit debate think violence against MPs is a price worth paying and expect protests in which people will be badly injured.

The survey’s co-director, Professor Richard Wyn Jones, said he was genuinely shocked by the findings — all the more so since fueling further division may be a deliberate campaign strategy.

Global Headlines

Merkel’s crutch | Germany’s Social Democrats might have control of the treasury in Europe’s biggest economy, but the political cost of propping up Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrat-led group has been eroding their support for years. Tomorrow the party will release the results of the first round of a leadership election that includes a raft of candidates who want to pull out of the coalition and bring Merkel’s chancellorship to an early conclusion.

Spy probe | The U.S. Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into whether Donald Trump or his 2016 presidential campaign was illegally spied upon, Chris Strohm reports. Trump and his allies have long argued that the investigation into Russian meddling in the election originated with false accusations and was politically motivated.

Mixed message | In a high-profile speech on China, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence criticized Beijing over the Hong Kong protests and slammed the NBA and Nike for abandoning principles in pursuit of the Chinese market. Pence offered an olive branch on trade, drawing praise from Chinese state media, but his other comments prompted an angry rebuke from former NBA All-Star Charles Barkley, who said: “Vice President Pence needs to shut the hell up.”

Testing times | The rush of a sweeping national mandate may be wearing off for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. This week, against the backdrop of the slowest economic growth in six years and the highest unemployment in more than four decades, the BJP lost seats in votes for the assemblies of two crucial states.

Melon malfeasance | Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe suffered the first departure from his six-week-old cabinet when Economy Minister Isshu Sugawara resigned over allegations his office made illegal contributions to constituents in the form of funeral offerings and gifts of pricey melons. Abe quickly apologized and named a ruling-party veteran as a replacement.

What to Watch

• Serbia will sign a trade pact today with Russia’s answer to the European Union, doubling down on its strategy of dual East-West allegiances as the western bloc drags its feet on expanding into the Balkans.
• Bolivian President Evo Morales took enough votes in the Oct. 20 election to win a fourth term, but opponents are disputing the result and the EU and the Organization of American States called for a second round.
• Botswana’s ruling party won Wednesday’s elections to extend its 53-year-old hold on power and ensure Mokgweetsi Masisi remains as president.

Pop quiz, readers (no cheating!). Which Democratic presidential candidate’s campaign hired two people who were recommended by Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerburg? Tell us how we’re doing or what we’re missing at balancepower@bloomberg.net. 

And finally ... Italy’s Five Star Movement has had few more loyal supporters than Michele Spellucci, but now the 37-year-old farmer has had enough. Angered by the party’s decision to field a joint candidate with the Democratic Party — the establishment force Five Star once criticized as corrupt but which it now rules alongside in the national government — Spellucci won’t be giving them his vote in Sunday’s regional election in Umbria. That’s significant, as the ballot will be a gauge of whether the ruling partnership in Rome has legs to be replicated at a local level.

--With assistance from Jon Herskovitz, Muneeza Naqvi, Iain Marlow and Ben Sills.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Winfrey at mwinfrey@bloomberg.net, Karl Maier

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