Boris Johnson news – LIVE: No 10 ‘cancels staff leave to prepare for no-deal’ as fears of chaotic Brexit mount

Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of events at Westminster and beyond. Jeremy Corbyn has written to the cabinet secretary Sir Mark Sedwill, asking him to rule that Boris Johnson cannot push ahead with a no-deal Brexit on 31 October if we are in the midst of a general election.

Here’s our political correspondent Lizzy Buchan with more on Jeremy Corbyn’s letter to Sir Mark Sedwill.

The cabinet secretary is expected to offer “some voice of sanity” if Boris Johnson tries to push ahead with a no-deal Brexit despite losing a confidence vote, Labour has said.

Shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald, asked if it is the job of Sir Mark Sedwill to give a ruling, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “When the prime minister of the day is intent on departing from protocols, custom and practice that has served us well over many hundreds of years, we do need to have some voice of sanity.

“If it cannot come from the politician and immediate adviser to the prime minister, then we have no other choice than to go to the head of the civil service and say ‘you’re the custodian of the civil service, you’ve got a role to play here and we do expect you to intervene and guide and advise’.”

Mr McDonald said Labour is committed to putting “whatever deal is negotiated back to the people”.

Pressed if Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn would be leading a government which wants to remain in the EU or negotiating to leave, Mr McDonald said: “We would be negotiating a deal and we could go down these hypothetical rabbit holes forever.”

Sir Vince Cable said the Liberal Democrats and a “significant number” of Tories would support a no-confidence motion in the government.

Speaking on BBC’s Newsnight, the former Lib Dem leader said there would be wide support for an “emergency administration” to take over if Boris Johnson loses a motion of no confidence.

Sir Vince said some MPs would not be able to support a new government led by Jeremy Corbyn, but that they may be able to support a “more broadly based group”.

He said parliament would reject a no-deal Brexit because the “consequences are so dire”. He also said when no-deal is “staring MPs in the face” many would “get behind” an emergency administration.

Sir Vince added: “We would certainly support a no confidence motion, and I think a significant number of Tories would do as well. And that is the way we are going to stop this.”

Chancellor Sajid Javid is “fast-tracking” plans to fund multi-billion pound public spending pledges in a move that will fuel speculation of a looming general election.

Here’s Lizzy Buchan with the latest.

Liberal Democrat Chuka Umunna claimed a “substantial minority” of Labour MPs would not support their party leader Jeremy Corbyn being prime minister.

The former Labour and Change UK MP told the Today programme: “The problem there is with the prospect of Jeremy Corbyn taking up the role of leading an emergency government is he cannot command a majority among his own MPs, never mind others like Conservative rebels who would refuse to give him confidence.

“I know, because I have spoken to them, there is a substantial minority of Labour MPs at the very least who simply would not countenance Jeremy Corbyn being the prime minister of this country.

“So the question is, is there a figure who, as an alternative, could command a majority?”

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell is not impressed by Sajid Javid’s plan to have a “fast-tracked” one-year spending review to deliver on the government’s “priorities”.

Here’s Lib Dem MP Chuka Umunna – who has suggested a “substantial minority” of Labour MPs would not support their party leader becoming PM – claiming Jeremy Corbyn has already “flunked the opportunity to definitively table that motion of no confidence so that it in the end precipitates a general election”.

The Lib Dems had urged Corbyn to table the no confidence motion in July, shortly after Boris Johnson became PM.

Not good news for Sajid Javid. Not good news for anyone. The UK economy shrank by 0.2 per cent in the second quarter of this year, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has announced. Our business editor Olesya Dmitracova has the details.

There’s a lot of feverish talk about what happens in October. But we still have to get through the September party conference season.

Ashley Cowburn has taken a look at what happens if MPs manage to cancel the traditional September recess in a bid to give themselves more parliamentary time to block no deal.