UK launches Get Ready for Brexit campaign, as general election speculation mounts

The UK government has launched a major "Get Ready for Brexit" campaign for the October 31 deadline for Britain's scheduled exit from the European Union (EU), even as Prime Minister Boris Johnson called an emergency Cabinet meeting at Downing Street on Monday triggering speculation of a snap general election. Described as the largest-ever government public information campaign which will run across television, social media, billboards, and other platforms, the Get Ready for Brexit drive is aimed at getting the public and business owners prepared in time for the UK's exit from the 28-member economic bloc.

"Ensuring an orderly Brexit is not only a matter of national importance but a shared responsibility. This campaign will encourage the country to come together to Get Ready for Brexit on October 31," said Michael Gove, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster who was put in charge of Brexit preparations when Boris Johnson took charge at Downing Street in July. The UK government said its research shows that only 50 percent of the population think it's likely the UK will leave the EU on October 31, 42 percent of small-to-medium-sized businesses are unsure of how they can get ready and just 31 percent of the British public have looked for information on how to prepare for Brexit.

The campaign is aimed at tackling this head-on by setting out what all members of the public and business owners might need to do, if anything, to get ready to leave the EU on October 31. Audiences including UK citizens intending to travel to Europe and all exporters to the EU will be targeted, alongside groups requiring particular information such as the equine industry and legal professions.

The government said some of the key actions audiences need to take include acquiring an Economic Operator Registration and Identification number to export to the EU. Businesses that are VAT registered will automatically be issued an EORI number, but micro-businesses still need to register themselves. Obtaining the correct documents to transport goods at the border and applying for the vital support packages available for businesses, such as grants, will be some of the other actions required.

Advertising accompanied with targeted road shows and events will drive people to the official government website, which has a new checker tool so audiences can identify what they need to do to get ready for Brexit quickly. There will be "how to" videos and step by step guides – so whether it is a small business owner, haulier or EU citizen residing in the UK – the actions needed will be spelt out for them. The campaign comes at the start of what promises to be another tumultuous week in British politics as MPs return to the House of Commons after the summer recess. For the Opposition MPs, top-most on the agenda is to table urgent legislation that prevents the Boris Johnson led government to leave the EU by October 31 without an agreement in place.

They are expected to put forward legislation on Tuesday to stop no deal under "SO24" or Standing Order 24 - the rule allowing MPs to ask for a debate on a "specific and important matter that should have urgent consideration". According to reports, such a bill could force Johnson to seek a three-month extension until January 31, 2020, if no withdrawal deal has been passed by Parliament by October 19 – the day after the next EU leaders' summit.

Some rebel MPs from Johnson's own Conservative Party, who are opposed to what they view as a damaging no-deal Brexit, have indicated their plans to vote with the Opposition on such legislation. This has led to Johnson, a hard Brexiteer who is determined to leave the EU with or without a deal by October 31, issuing an ultimatum to his party rebels that he is ready to remove the Tory party whip from such MPs, in effect sack them from the party.

However, such a move would inevitably mean that he loses his wafer-thin majority in the House of Commons, which has triggered speculation that the British PM may be contemplating a snap general election to take things back to the public in the hope of winning a solid majority for his Brexit strategy. Under the terms of the UK's Fixed Terms Parliament Act, Johnson would require the backing of two-thirds of the UK's 650 MPs to trigger an early election because the next general election is not due until 2022. Should this happen, the prime minister would be able to recommend the date of the poll to Queen Elizabeth II, with the British monarch giving the formal go-ahead.

If Parliament were dissolved on Friday then the earliest possible date for a snap general election would be October 11. However, with UK polls normally taking place on a Thursday, October 17 is potentially the more likely earliest opportunity, leaving just 14 days before the Brexit deadline. Opposition Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn has been calling for a general election for months now.

"An election would give the people a choice between two very different directions for the country," he said. If there is an election before the end of 2019, it would be the third in the past five years, after elections in 2015 and 2017 and the Brexit referendum in favor of Brexit in June 2016.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)