I may have got this wrong, because I didn't see his statement, but it seems to me that Johnson is saying that he doesn't want a GE, but will call for one if parliament rules out No Deal. This doesn't seem so smart now. So if Opposition parties pass legislation that requires an extension to A50 if no deal is in place by 31st October, and then decline his offer of a GE, he will be forced to bring a deal back to parliament, which will most likely be some time after 31st October and will probably be May's deal with some tinkering on the backstop. If that then fails to win parliament's approval, a GE will be inevitable at that point and Johnson is massively weakened. Here's what Farage had to say....
The big message here is Boris Johnson wants the Withdrawal Agreement. He wants Mrs May’s Withdrawal Agreement, but minus the backstop.
“And if he does get voted down in the House of Commons tomorrow, which I have to say, looking at the Tory rebels who are beginning to stand up, does look quite likely to me, then there will be a general election.
“Do I think it is acceptable that a general election could be held on the basis that he goes back to Brussels to get the Withdrawal Agreement? Well I absolutely don’t.”
"Given there is less than 60 days to go to that right now, no-deal is the best deal.
“Getting out with a clean break Brexit and after we will get a trade deal. But we cannot re-jig or re-work that Withdrawal Agreement in any way at all and I think Boris Johnson is making a historical mistake.
“If he gets it through, and (it) becomes law, the acrimony it will lead to… because we will have given the whip hand in all future negotiations to Brussels.”
Not much sign of an electoral pact there, Goldie.