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.
Labour MPs Jess Phillips and Alex Sobel have joined Gina Miller’s high court challenge against the suspension parliament. The claim – also supported by Sir John Major – is set to be heard on Thursday.
“When the prime minister took the decision to prorogue parliament it was a sad day for our democracy,” said Phillips.
“The intent of the prime minister to rob parliament of its constitutional rights is unlawful,” said Sobel.
Yet more general election chat. Ian Blackford, the SNP’s leader at Westminster, said that “while the SNP are ready and eager for a general election, Boris Johnson must not be allowed to use an election to force through no-deal”.
Nicola Sturgeon is to demand Holyrood be given the power to hold a second independence referendum.
Scotland’s first minister has confirmed she will “seek agreement to the transfer of power that will put the referendum beyond legal challenge”.
While prime minister Boris Johnson has indicated his opposition to a second vote on Scotland leaving the UK, Sturgeon said it “now seems inevitable that there will be an early UK general election”.
She added: “Let me by crystal clear today - the SNP will put Scotland’s opposition to Brexit and our right to choose independence at the very heart of that context.”
Sturgeon spoke out as she unveiled her programme for government, detailing the bills the Scottish Government intends to bring forward over the next year.
The “centrepiece” of that would be work to tackle the climate emergency, she said. But she hit out at the “political and constitutional emergency that is engulfing the UK”.
Foreign secretary Dominic Raab is currently speaking the Commons, before Boris Johnson gives at statement. We’re expecting Oliver Letwin to put forward the motion for an emergency debate – allowing the opposition to seize control of Commons business – around 5.30pm.
The vote itself is expected between 9pm and 10pm, with the result shortly afterwards.
Rory Stewart, the former Tory leadership candidate, has described a no-deal Brexit as “a failure to reach a destination”.
In a blog post on his website, he said “it would be perceived rightly - by our international partners and investors - as a signal failure of sense, statesmanship, and strategy.
“We would drop overnight into the margins of the world's trading system. We would have left all the fundamental questions, about our future, unresolved and uncertain. And our reputation, prosperity and influence would be damaged for no benefit.”
He added that no-deal would “still leave us with the same divisions in public and parliament - making it very difficult to get out of no-deal/WTO and make any future trade deal”.
He concluded: “We would face more years of debts and austerity, undermine Britain’s reputation for competence and reliability, and take us no further forward in defining any future relationships with the EU or anyone else.”
Jeremy Corbyn apparently believes Labour can achieve “both” a block on a no-deal Brexit and a general election.
Here’s his statement: “Following a productive meeting of cross-party MPs this morning, we are united in our opposition to Boris Johnson’s plans for a no deal.
“We are confident that the legislative route we have adopted has every chance of being successful, and we are working on ways in which we can prevent Boris Johnson manipulating an election to force a no-deal Brexit.
“Labour wants to prevent a no-deal Brexit, and to have a general election, so we can end austerity and invest in our communities. I am confident we can have both, and we’ve been in discussions about a way to achieve this. We will continue to work across parliament towards this goal and will have further meetings to this end in coming days.”
Anyone like flowcharts? The analysts at RBC Capital Markets have provided this handy guide to what might happen next.
Alistair Burt, the northeast Bedfordshire MP, has said he will not stand at the next election, according to reports.
The Conservative representative first became an MP in Bury North, Greater Manchester, which constituency he represented until 1997.
He has been MP for northeast Bedfordshire since 2001.
Until March this year he was a minister of state in the international development department and foreign office.
ITV reported that Mr Burt told constituents in a letter: "It has become clear I have a fundamental and unresolvable disagreement with party leadership on the manner in which we leave the EU."
He follows fellow Tory Justine Greening, the Southfields and Putney MP, in announcing a decision to leave the Commons after Boris Johnson threatened to sack anyone who did not vote with the government over the rebel attempt to stop no-deal Brexit.
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