Boris Johnson news – live: Major blow for prime minister as Commons vote paves way for bill preventing no-deal Brexit
Follow all the latest developments
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Rebel Tories have defied Boris Johnson's threats of deselection to align with opposition MPs and derail his Brexit plans in a historic Commons vote.
MPs voted to seize control of the house agenda, paving the way for a bill to be tabled tomorrow that would prevent the prime minister from crashing the country out of the EU on October 31.
The prime minister's statement to the House earlier this evening was upstaged when Tory MP Dr Phillip Lee dramatically crossed the floor to sit with the Liberal Democrats, depriving him of his majority.
Mr Johnson said he would put in train a motion calling for a general election next month.
Labour have said they may vote in favour of such a poll, but only if they could be certain Mr Johnson would not move the date until after Britain is due to leave on October 31, in effect bringing about a no-deal by default.
Labour has issued a challenge to the chancellor, Sajid Javid, to rule out tax cuts and deregulation for the finance sector in his first spending review on Wednesday, writes our political editor Andrew Woodcock.
Mr Javid is expected to signal an end to the era of austerity in his statement to the Commons, with big spending packages already announced for schools, police and the NHS.
But the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, said he should also take the opportunity to tell bankers that any loosening of purse-strings did not mean they could “get their noses in the trough”.
Tonight's motion "will cast us in the role of supplicants" and hand control to EU negotiators, Liam Fox tells the Commons.
"Delay will follow delay" if MPs vote with the "coalition of chaos", he adds.
It would play into the hands of the political fringes and erode trust between parliament and voters, he says.
A little detail from earlier.
Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of the house, was asked on what date he became aware of Boris Johnson's plan to prorogue parliament.
Mr Rees-Mogg replied: "I don't know when I was told that this was happening, I had to get a flight up to Aberdeen for a meeting of the Privy Council, but without consulting my diary and my telephone records, I would not wish to say something that was inaccurate."
It came after court documents revealed that the prime minister had secretly agreed to suspend parliament in mid-August, more than a week before he denied that such a plan was afoot.
This is the most perilous week in our country’s recent peacetime history. We have a prime minister prepared to pursue a no-deal Brexit that wasn’t even contemplated by the Leave campaign he led during the 2016 EU referendum. In fact, the Leave campaign said securing a deal with the EU would be one of the easiest in history, write the Labour MPs Phil Wilson and Peter Kyle.
In order to prevent this, parliament is prepared to vote for, and pass legislation to take a no-deal Brexit off the table. In retaliation, the prime minister is prepared to push for a general election if the legislation is passed.
The proposed legislation is imperative. A general election at this stage is not. And we will not vote for it. Parliament’s focus should be on stopping the prime minister’s no-deal posturing and force him to do some serious negotiating with the EU on a Brexit deal.
Something to add - after Jeremy Corbyn chastised Boris Johnson for using the word "surrender" in relation to negotiations with the EU, he himself used it a number of times in a rhetorical flourish of his own, to hammer home his view that the trade deal the PM is trying to secure with the US would be damaging for the UK.
The Lib Dems are facing a members' revolt over the decision to allow a Tory MP with a poor record on LGBT rights to join the party, writes Jon Stone.
Phillip Lee dramatically crossed the floor on Tuesday over Brexit, costing the government its majority and bolstering the liberals' ranks ahead of crucial votes on stopping no-deal.
But their new MP is a longstanding skeptic on same-sex marriage, and also ran a campaign to bar people with HIV from being able to come to the UK.
A group of Labour MPs have said they will table two amendments of a bill which aims to prevent the UK from leaving the EU without an agreement.
In a statement, the “Labour MPs for a deal” said they would table the amendments to Hilary Benn’s draft European Union (Withdrawal) (No 6) Bill tomorrow.
The amendments will “seek to ensure that any extension provided under the Bill is done so with the sole purpose of concluding a deal,” they said.
They added: “We are tabling these amendments as MPs who respect the result of the 2016 referendum, but who are determined that the best way to deliver on this result is for the UK to leave the EU with a deal in place that can guarantee our security and protect our economy.
“Parliament is paralysed by its extremes. Those who are willing to entertain the prospect of no deal, and those for whom no Brexit deal, however comprehensive, will ever be acceptable.
“We do not agree with either camp. We need a deal.”
The group of 17 Labour MPs, including Stephen Kinnock, Caroline Flint, Sarah Champion and Dan Jarvis, said they would seek to use a delay to Brexit to get a deal through.
They said: “A further extension to the timetable to leave the EU will leave most of the country banging their head against a brick wall.
“Most people are fed up of hearing about Brexit and just want the referendum result of 2016 to be honoured.”
If MPs agree to give Commons time to the cross-party Bill on Wednesday the group will seek to amend it to require the publication of the version of the draft Brexit deal produced after weeks of talks between the Tories and Labour under Theresa May.
“These amendments allow colleagues to rally around the opportunity to push forward with cross-party agreement,” the MPs said.
“We all recognise that British politics desperately needs to rediscover the importance of compromise.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments