Boris Johnson news – live: Major blow for prime minister as Commons vote paves way for bill preventing no-deal Brexit
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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.
Boris Johnson’s spokesperson has denied that the PM could renege on an agreed general election date – as many Labour figures have been suggesting.
So is the looming bid for a general election all part of a cunning plan at No 10? Or a sign of chaos?
Justine Greening said there was a “sense of panic” coming from the government following the series of unprecedented announcements made in recent days.
The departing Tory MP said: “To my mind, I felt there was a real sense of panic yesterday in Number 10.
“Within a week it was a government that had announced it might shut down parliament to stop MPs debating, a government that said it might potentially ignore a law passed by parliament, a government that said they would withdraw the whip from MPs like myself who are purely representing their communities and a government that might call a general election.”
Greening added: “[That’s] the thing Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the opposition, has wanted for years.
She said the government were giving Corbyn a general election “on a plate”.
Commenting on revelations in the Court of Session in Edinburgh this morning, Ian Murray MP, leading supporter of a People’s Vote and a petitioner in the case, said: “The revelations in the Court of Session this morning show Boris Johnson treats parliamentary democracy with contempt and the people of Britain with utter disdain.
“First, he dismissed any notion of parliamentary accountability as a ‘rigmarole’ and mocked the public’s concerns. Then he went out and lied about his intentions.
“These are the words and actions of a supremely arrogant, privileged and out-of-touch politician who cannot be trusted to be honest about his intentions in politics or anything else.
“We cannot let Boris Johnson govern the country like some medieval monarch, dismissing Parliament and ignoring the public. It’s time to trust the people, not Boris Johnson, to solve this Brexit crisis. It’s time to settle this once and for all by giving the people the final say on Brexit.”
Tory rebel MPs David Gauke, Philip Hammond and Greg Clark have left 10 Downing Street, declining to make any comment to reporters. Fellow Tory rebels Stephen Hammond, Nicholas Soames, Antoinette Sandbach, Margot James and Anne Milton also left Downing Street without making any comment to the press.
The BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg says one MP though the meeting was “crap”.
International trade secretary Liz Truss has been accused of “unacceptable” behaviour after rejecting an invitation to speak before a select committee.
Angus MacNeil MP, chairman of the International Trade Committee said that Truss showed a “desire to evade parliamentary scrutiny” after declining to speak to before ministers on the committee.
The secretary of state told the committee that she would be unable to attend ahead of the prorogation of parliament, which is due to take place next week.
The committee said it wished to speak with Truss as soon as possible to monitor the work of her department.
New polling from ComRes shows just over one-third of Conservative voters less likely to vote for the party if there’s a no-deal Brexit.
It shows 35 per cent of people who voted Tory in 2017 say they would be “less likely” to do so again if the Boris Johnson takes the UK out of the EU on a no-deal basis.
Among all voters, 42 per cent report that they are less likely to vote Conservative in this instance.
Almost two thirds of voters, 64 per cent, report that they think ‘the cost of daily essentials’ will get worse in the event of a no-deal outcome.
The poll was commissioned by 38 Degrees as part of a new people-powered ‘no to no-deal’ campaign.
Jeremy Corbyn has declined to say whether he would support a general election before 31 October.
But reports suggest that it was agreed at a meeting of opposition leaders that they would not to vote for a general election until the bill to block no-deal Brexit has become law.
Liz Saville Roberts, Plaid Cymru’s leader at Westminster, has told Sky News: “We are very aware of the way that Boris Johnson will try to play the house. We are not going to be part of his game. And our priority is to stop no-deal Brexit. And the legislation is the way to do that.”
Here’s what Jeremy Corbyn said about a general election in his latest interview.
Although he wouldn't be drawn on whether he would support a government motion for a general election in mid-October, he did say he was “absolutely ready to fight” an election and suggested he wanted to “let the people of this country decide their own future”.
“We want a general election as do all the other parties. Under the Fixed Term Parliament Act it’s for the prime minister to introduce a measure on this or not.
“The priority is to prevent a no-deal exit from the EU on 31 October.
“Once the legislation goes through then there’s an extension of Article 50 for three months from the end of October. Let’s see what happens after this legislation has gone through, and if an election is called I’m absolutely ready to fight it, and our party is ready to fight it.”
Asked if he could be sure Boris Johnson would stick to an election date before 31 October. “We’re looking at all the legal advice we receive at the present time. But I think the important thing is to stop a no-deal exit and let the people of this country decide their own future.”
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