Boris Johnson news – live: PM to call October general election if rebel MPs vote to block no-deal
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Your support makes all the difference.Government officials revealed Boris Johnson plans to call a 14 October general election if he loses a crunch no-deal Brexit vote in the Commons on Tuesday.
The sources said the prime minister was confident that the election motion would receive the two-thirds majority required to trigger an early poll under the Fixed Term Parliaments Act.
Ministers will table the motion by the end of Tuesday, but it will be moved to a vote on Wednesday only if MPs vote tomorrow to take control of Commons business in order to pass a bill to block a no-deal Brexit on 31 October.
In an unexpected statement outside Number 10 on Monday, Mr Johnson insisted there were “no circumstances” in which he would delay Brexit beyond the current deadline.
The prime minister warned that MPs would “chop the legs out” from the UK position if they backed a Brexit extension as he addressed the nation this evening.
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Kevin Maguire of The Daily Mirror suggests Jeremy Corbyn will only countenance a general election after a no-confidence vote – rather than back Boris Johnson and provide a two-thirds majority in the Commons he would need for a snap poll.
Boris Johnson’s official spokesman refused to say whether the government would abide by legislation to stop a no-deal Brexit.
He told a Westminster briefing: “We haven’t seen any legislation yet and the government will need to look at any legislation brought forward to establish what it does or doesn’t require.”
Forget what Kevin Maguire has just tweeted. Sky correspondent Kate McCann has grabbed a word with Jeremy Corbyn and he appears to have committed to a general election at an opportunity.
ITV’s Robert Peston has a list of the 22 Tory MPs prepared to risk losing the whip – and being stopped from standing for the Conservative Party – by voting with the opposition to block a no-deal Brexit.
How do you feel about a Jack Russell from an animal rescue charity moving in with Larry the cat at No 10? A mildly shameless distraction? Or an utterly shameless one?
The male, four-month-old Jack Russell was delivered by the charity Friends of Animals Wales, according to our political correspondent Andrew Woodcock, who attended the latest lobby briefing.
Unlike Larry, who has stayed on at Downing Street under three prime ministers, the dog is the personal property of Mr Johnson and his partner Carrie Symonds and will leave with them when the PM’s term in office concludes.
Johnson’s official spokesman said: “The prime minister has always been a passionate supporter of animal welfare and always believed that animals should get the right start in life.”
Jacob Rees-Mogg has launched an extraordinary attack on a doctor helping to plan for a no-deal Brexit who warned that people will die if it goes ahead.
Our deputy political editor Rob Merrick has the details.
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