SNP says priority is avoiding no deal Brexit, then election date

The opposition Scottish National Party (SNP) will only agree on a date for a general election when it is sure Britain will not leave the European Union without a deal, its Westminster leader said on Friday.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is pushing for an election on Oct. 15, two weeks before the United Kingdom is due to leave the EU, though opposition parties are debating which date they would accept. They are holding further talks on Friday.

"We will choose the timing of when an election comes. I want to remove Boris Johnson as prime minister, but we need to make sure we don't leave the European Union on a no deal basis, that's the first priority," the SNP's Ian Blackford told BBC television.