Johnson returns to London to drum up support for Brexit deal

Photo: The Canadian Press

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson answers questions during a media conference at an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019.

After defying expectations to win the backing of European Union leaders for his new Brexit deal , Prime Minister Boris Johnson was battling Friday to secure enough support to get the deal through the fractious British Parliament and pave the way for Britain — finally — to leave the bloc in two weeks' time.

Johnson returned from an EU summit in Brussels overnight for a busy day of meetings and phone calls as he attempted to persuade lawmakers to ratify the divorce deal at a rare Saturday sitting of Parliament.

He was to brief his Cabinet on Friday afternoon, ahead of what's expected to be a knife-edge vote.

Johnson's Conservative Party holds only 288 seats in the 650-seat House of Commons, so he will have to rely on support from other parties and independent lawmakers to get over the line.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab started drumming up support early.

"We've got a real opportunity now to get Brexit delivered faithful to the referendum, move on as a government, and I think as a country, and lift the clouds of Brexit," he told the BBC.