Brexit deal in hand, Johnson turns to Parliament

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, having secured a hard-fought Brexit deal with the E.U., will today try to sell it to members of Parliament, which will decide its fate in a special session on Saturday.

Despite his success in Brussels, won at the cost of significant concessions, Mr. Johnson’s victory lap was short-lived, as obstacles to passing the agreement became clearer with little time left to persuade lawmakers to accept it.

Sticking point: Unionists in Northern Ireland felt a deep sense of betrayal, with Mr. Johnson having overruled objections to the deal from lawmakers who represent them. The Democratic Unionist Party — whose support he needs — says it would essentially cleave Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and hurt its economy.

Win-win: Even if Mr. Johnson loses the Saturday vote, he can argue in a general election that he’d done all he could to make Brexit happen by Oct. 31, as he promised. He can blame either Brussels for holding up the process or Parliament for voting down his plan.