UK's Boris Johnson tries again for vote on EU divorce deal

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson attempted for a second time to secure lawmakers' backing for his European Union divorce deal on Monday as Parliament geared up for a grueling week of political warfare over Brexit.

With just 10 days to go until the U.K. is due to leave the bloc on October 31, Johnson's government planned to ask for a "straight up-and-down vote" on his EU divorce agreement, which changes how both sides handle the Irish border.

That request comes two days after lawmakers voted to delay approving the Brexit deal.

But House of Commons Speaker John Bercow could refuse to allow such a vote because parliamentary rules generally bar the same measure from being considered a second time during the same session of Parliament unless something has changed.

Johnson's Conservative government will also introduce the legislation necessary to implement the Brexit agreement it struck with the EU last week.

The government hopes to get that done by Britain's scheduled October 31 departure date.

But it's unclear whether the bill can win majority backing in Parliament, and opposition lawmakers will try to seek amendments that could alter or scuttle it.

Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay urged lawmakers to back the bill and more than three years after British voters narrowly voted to leave the EU "enable us to move onto the people's priorities like health, education and crime."
"This is the chance to leave the EU with a deal on Oct. 31," he said. "If Parliament wants to respect the referendum, it must back the bill."
Scotland's highest court said Monday it would keep the case open, retaining the power to censure Johnson's Conservative government until its obligations under the law have been complied with "in full."