Boris Johnson news – live: PM refuses to resign and says he’d rather be ‘dead in a ditch’ than seek Brexit delay

Former Labour MP Robert Flello, who lost his seat in 2017, has defected to the Liberal Democrats.

The doctor compared by Jacob Rees-Mogg to the anti-vaccine conspiracist Andrew Wakefield has demanded the Tory minister apologise in parliament.

The leader of the house was branded "absolutely disgusting" by MPs when he claimed Dr David Nicholl, who the government tasked with analysing the impact of no-deal Brexit on medicine supplies, "was as irresponsible as" the man who launched the MMR/autism conspiracy.

Dr Nicholl had confronted Mr Rees-Mogg during a radio programme to say that no-deal Brexit risked a possibly deadly shortage of some medicines.

Speaking on Wednesday, Dr Nicholl said: "I think he should apologise in parliament. Today, I was defamed in parliament by Jacob Rees-Mogg.

"I challenge him to repeat what he said in public. If he does, I will sue and I will donate any money to a whistleblowing charity."

It's been a rough couple of days for the Old Etonian, who was roundly mocked online when he was pictured reclining on the Commons benches while listening to a debate.

For more, here is Rob Merrick's story from earlier:

Speaking of the double-breasted suit enthusiast, Jacob Rees-Mogg has just been sent this letter from the chief medical officer...

Boris Johnson is heading for a second crushing defeat over triggering an October general election, as the SNP – and more Labour MPs – swung behind making him wait in order to “let the Tories unravel”, writes Rob Merrick.

A further Commons vote will take place on Monday, but the Scottish Nationalists signalled they will oppose a snap poll, making it more likely Jeremy Corbyn will do the same to maintain a united opposition.

Crucially, the motion will again be under the fixed term parliaments act, which means it does not tie down the election date – a key demand of the opposition parties – although the prime minister insisted it would be on 15 October.

Just one quote from Professor Dame Sally Davies' letter to Mr Rees-Mogg: "Comparing an established medical expert to a man who was struck off the medical register by the General Medical Council, and described by them as 'dishonest, irresponsible and showed callous disregard for the distress and pain of children', is going too far and is frankly unacceptable."

Oof.

The police and crime commissioner for the region where Boris Johnson gave his speech earlier has called for the PM to apologise for lining up police recruits behind him.

Mark Burns-Williamson said: "To use police officers as the backdrop to what became a political speech was inappropriate and they shouldn't have been put in that position.

"It clearly turned into a rant about Brexit, the Opposition and a potential general election. There's no way that police officers should've formed the backdrop to a speech of that nature."

Sir John Major has launched a savage attack on Boris Johnson and his Government - urging the new Prime Minister to ditch his "overmighty advisers" before politics is poisoned "beyond repair".

The former prime minister accused the Government of operating via "bluster and threat in a climate of aggressive bullying", as he criticised the PM over the controversial decision to prorogue parliament.

He also demanded the 21 rebel Tory MPs who voted against the Government on Tuesday night should be reinstated.

Failure to do this would mean the Conservatives would "cease to be a broadbased nations party, and be seen as a mean minded sect", Sir John said.

PA

If I may be permitted to begin with a vanishingly rare bit of gonzo sketch writing, towards the end of Boris Johnson’s question and answer session, at the end of Boris Johnson’s speech at a police training centre in Yorkshire, which ended at least an hour and a half after 32 trainee police officers had been ordered to form up behind it, I raised my hand, writes Tom Peck.

The question I was hoping to ask was, roughly, thus: “Prime minister, it’s your first proper week in the job. You have lost four parliamentary votes. You have chucked Ken Clarke out of the Conservative Party. Your brother has resigned. You have failed to get a general election and you can’t get Britain out of the European Union. Did you ever imagine it would go this badly?”

At this point, the junior copper standing immediately behind him collapsed. Her colleagues appeared to wish to give medical assistance, but it was not clear if that was the right thing to do. They were only four weeks into the job, after all, the prime minister was here, and they were live on television. Instead, the one to the collapsed one’s right just stared skyward and looked as if she might cry.

Oh, it's not been a good day for Boris Johnson.

Yvette Cooper, the chair of the Commons home affairs committee, is to write to the cabinet secretary and chief constable of West Yorkshire Police over the PM's use of police cadets as a backdrop to his highly political speech earlier today.

The Labour MP said: "For Boris Johnson to make so many police stop their training and work to be part of his political stunt is an abuse of power.

"Police officers and trainees are overstretched and need to be able to get on with their job, not have to waste time listening to Boris Johnson's political press conference.

"For Boris Johnson to draw so many of them into a long, election-driven event like this is completely inappropriate and it is unfair on the people of West Yorkshire who are entitled to expect that their police are allowed to get on with the job of working and training to keep them safe.

"I am writing to the cabinet secretary as well as the West Yorkshire chief constable John Robins to ask how this has happened and what guidelines were followed."

Boris Johnson regards parliament as a “nuisance” and a threat to his policy of taking Britain out of the EU on 31 October come what may, the High Court has been told, writes Andrew Woodcock.

Lawyers for businesswoman and campaigner Gina Miller told judges that the prime minister’s decision to suspend parliament for five weeks ahead of the Brexit deadline was “an unlawful abuse of power” which removed MPs’ ability to take decisions at a critical time.

The court will issue its ruling on Friday morning on Ms Miller’s claim, backed by former PM Sir John Major, that the five-week prorogation is unlawful and should be reversed.