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

Transport minister George Freeman said the UK will need to sign a trade deal with the EU because a long period on WTO rules would be an “absolute disaster” for the country, which would keep the Tories “out of office for two decades”.

Speaking to The Huffington Post, the Tory MP said: “Being able to use the legitimate threat of no-deal to get a good deal is a perfectly acceptable strategy.

“I do not agree with those very few hard-liners who think that WTO long-term would be satisfactory. I don't at all, I think it would be an absolute disaster and politically for my party would see us out of office for two decades, I think.”

“More importantly, I think it would be very damaging to the stability of this country.”

Mr Freeman added: “For me, what the prime minister has said he wants to do is get a sensible deal. Bear in mind we were very close to getting this deal through - a tweak to the backstop would do it.”

Freeman also criticised the idea of suspending parliament, but said he does not think this would be an option favoured by Johnson either. He said: “The idea of proroguing parliament, blocking parliament, would be a huge mistake.

“And I don't think it's the Prime minister’s instincts – he’s a parliamentarian, he’s a Churchillian, he is a real democrat, and I cannot for a moment think that's what he'd want to do.

“I do think if he can’t get a negotiated improvement and if parliament signals it is going to block no-deal, which he needs to be able to have as a sanction in order to get a deal, then it is quite likely we will end up by hook or by crook, one way or another, with an election.”

Boris Johnson has written to all civil servants to inform them preparing for a no-deal Brexit on 31 October is now his “top priority”.

“My approach to Brexit is simple, and I want you to be in no doubt about it,” the prime minister stated.

“We must restore trust in our democracy, and fulfil the repeated promises of Parliament to the people, by coming out of the European Union on 31 October. We will be leaving on this date, whatever the circumstances. 

“I would very much prefer to leave with a deal – one that must abolish the anti-democratic Irish backstop, which has unacceptable consequences for our country.

“But I recognise this may not happen. That is why preparing urgently and rapidly for the possibility of an exit without a deal will be my top priority, and it will be the top priority for the Civil Service too.”

Ministers who left the government after “breaking the rules, resigning for personal ambition or getting sacked for incompetence and repeated failure” should pay back hundreds of thousands of pounds handed out as severance payments, Labour has said.

Shadow cabinet office minister Jo Platt called for the return of money which was reportedly paid out to ministers and advisers who quit their jobs, were fired, or who lost their seats in the 2017 general election.

She accused the government of rewarding “failure”, and said many of the people who received pay outs are now back in the Cabinet less than a year after receiving “handsome payouts”.

According to analysis by Politico, almost £850,000 was paid out to ministers and advisers who quit, lost their jobs, or were fired during Theresa May’s time as prime minister.

The sum is said to include payments to senior figures including current prime minister Boris Johnson, current foreign secretary Dominic Raab and current housing minister Esther McVey, who all resigned in protest over the government’s handling of Brexit.

According to Robert Peston’s latest post, Boris Johnson may have handed Dominic Cummings his incredibly powerful role at the heart of No 10 only until Brexit is delivered.

“His agreement to go into 10 Downing Street expires at 11pm on 31 October, do or die, as it were,” he writes.

The ITV host believes that MPs will try their best to block no-deal but, in his view, “they will fail to do so”.

He believes Cummings is “psychologically and physiologically unequipped” to blink over the do or die no-deal strategy.

Michael Gove has said he does not want to see a general election this autumn.

He said: “We will have Brexit on 31 October – the prime minister has been absolutely clear that is the position in law that we have to leave the European Union and that is the date that has been agreed between the EU 27 and the UK.

“I don’t want a general election because I believe it is important that we get on with delivering Brexit and also ensure that the other opportunities that the prime minister has made clear that he wants the United Kingdom to enjoy can be provided.”

Downing Street has cancelled all leave for government advisers in the run up to Britain’s withdrawal from the EU on 31 October.

Boris Johnson’s chief strategic adviser Sir Edward Lister emailed all special advisers today informing them that no holidays should be booked until the end of October.

The move is likely to fuel speculation that ministers are preparing the ground for a general election after MPs return to Westminster in September.

PA

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has expressed his thanks to Brian Roy for his dedication to the party.

Mr Roy, who is Scottish Labour’s general secretary, announced his resignation earlier today.

Mr Corbyn said: “Brian Roy’s experience and knowledge has been invaluable to Scottish Labour, and to me personally, and I thank him for his dedication to our party and our movement.

“Brian is Labour through and through, and his charity cycle ride for Palestine is a great example of his commitment to international solidarity and justice. I wish him all the very best for the future.”

Boris Johnson’s ‘boosterism’ is intended to counteract the negative shock of leaving the EU – but haphazardly shaking the ‘magic money tree’ will not be enough, writes Mike Galsworthy, co-founder of Scientists for EU.

More on this here:

Boris Johnson's plan to boost British science is a puny water pistol against the raging flames of Brexit

Boris Johnson has been accused of “breaking the economy” with continued threats of a no-deal Brexit and mounting fears the UK could face its first recession in a decade.

It comes as GDP shrank by 0.2 per cent in the second quarter of 2019 as the Office for National Statistics (ONS) latest figures on the state of the economy showed the first contraction since 2012.

More from political correspondent Ashley Cowburn here:

Brexit: Boris Johnson accused of ‘breaking economy’ over no-deal threats as recession fears mount

CaptionSadiq Khan has warned Boris Johnson that the Metropolitan Police Service is “under-resourced and over-stretched” and needs more police officers to deal with knife crime.

The Mayor of London said that the police needed to recruit officers “much, much quicker” than Mr Johnson’s pledge of 20,000 over three years, having lost 21,000 under consecutive Conservative governments.

Mr Khan argued that London’s police force were using their stop and search powers in the way Mr Johnson favours, but that there were too few officers left and that the “preventative side” such as youth clubs have been slashed under austerity, fuelling the rise in knife crime.

(Jane Barlow/PA) 

Speaking at the Edinburgh Fringe during an interview appearance with broadcaster Iain Dale, Mr Khan was questioned whether the Metropolitan Police “have London under control”, to which he stressed that London needed more support from the Government.