What’s Boris Johnson’s secret plan to dodge the Brexit delay?

With even cabinet ministers apparently in the dark, Rob Merrick looks at the options under consideration by the PM – and whether they have any chance of succeeding

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The holy grail for journalists at the Conservative conference is to uncover Boris Johnson’s secret plan to escape his worst nightmare – the humiliation of being forced to delay Brexit.

Remember that the Benn Act kicks in if parliament has not passed a deal by 19 October, requiring a letter to be sent to the EU requesting an Article 50 extension to avoid a Halloween crash-out. And it’s not clear there is any way around it at all.

Not even cabinet ministers know what the prime minister’s plan is – when asked, chancellor Sajid Javid, replied, unconvincingly “I think I do” – and, like the Holy Grail itself, it may never be found.