Brexit news: 'Blindingly obvious' - John Bercow vows to stop Tory front-runner suspending parliament to force through no deal

Welcome to The Independent's politics liveblog, where we will be bringing you the latest updates throughout the day.

Theresa May has travelled to France today for the 75th anniversary commemorations of D-Day. Alongside Donald Trump and other world leaders, she paid tribute to those who served during the landings.

"If one day can be said to have determined the fate of generations to come, in France, in Britain, in Europe and in the world, that day was the 6 June 1944," she said.

"More than 156,000 men landed on D-Day, of which 83,000 were from Britain and the Commonwealth.

"Over a quarter of a million more supported operations from air and sea, while the French Resistance carried out extraordinary acts of bravery from behind enemy lines.

"Many were terribly wounded, and many made the ultimate sacrifice that day, and in the fierce sacrifice that followed, as together our Allied nations sought to release Europe from the grip of fascism."

The prime minister read the names of several British troops who were killed during the D-Day landings and the Battle of Normandy.

"These young men belonged to a very special generation, the greatest generation," she said.

"A generation whose incomparable spirit shaped our postwar world.

"They didn't boast. They didn't fuss. They served."

On the 75th anniversary of D-Day, more than 120 military veterans have signed a letter warning that peace and friendship in Europe is threatened by Brexit.

The 122 veterans, whose service spans the period from the Second World War to modern-day conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, said that the peace which has prevailed in Europe since 1945 “should not be taken for granted”.

The letter came as D-Day veteran Eric Chardin, who was 19 when he took part in the 1944 landings, said that the prospect of Brexit worried him.

More here from our political editor Andrew Woodcock:

Back in Westminster, the Tory leadership race has turned ugly after Brexiteer frontrunner Dominic Raab made the extraordinary suggestion that parliament could be prorogued to force through a no-deal Brexit.

Prorogation is the term for the end of a parliamentary session, the formal period before there is a new Queen' Speech with the government's plans for new laws.

Parliament can be prorogued ahead of schedule to prepare for a general election, such as before the snap election in 2017.

But Raab's suggestion is pretty extreme as he would dissolve parliament to prevent it from blocking a no-deal Brexit on 31 October - effectively overruling the will of MPs, and therefore the public.

He made the claims at an action-packed leadership hustings, which my colleague Ben Kentish covered last night.

Read his piece here:

Conservative leadership candidate Sam Gyimah has accused male rivals of "Trumpian machismo" for claiming they can negotiate a better Brexit deal with Brussels than Theresa May.

As the Tory leadership race became increasingly bitter, the former minister, who is standing on a second referendum ticket, added those wanting to pursue a no-deal exit must gain public consent.

His remarks came as Dominic Raab, the ex-Brexit secretary, prompted outrage by suggesting he could temporarily suspend parliament in order to force through a no-deal Brexit if he succeeded Ms May.

More here:

There were several interesting stories from last night's leadership hustings, organised by the One Nation group of Tory moderates.

Matt Hancock, the health secretary, caused a stir by calling Jeremy Corbyn “an antisemite”. 

On the 75th anniversary of D-Day, Mr Hancock told Tory MPs they must deliver Brexit or else “end up with the first antisemitic leader of a western nation since the Second World War”.

Senior Tories have often criticised Mr Corbyn over his handling of antisemitism but Mr Hancock’s comments are the first time that a sitting cabinet minister has directly accused the Labour leader of being antisemitic. 

In response, a Labour spokesperson said: “This baseless political attack rings hollow from a minister in a party that has supported governments that actively promote antisemitic policies in Hungary and Poland, and has spent the week wooing Trump – the man who refused to condemn neo-fascists in Charlottesville who chanted ‘Jews will not replace us’. 

“Numerous candidates in the Conservative leadership contest have been accused of racism, Islamophobia, homophobia and misogyny, one of whom may be the next prime minister.”

International development secretary Rory Stewart was scathing about Mr Raab's assertion that he would be prepared to temporarily shut down parliament to ensure Brexit occurs on 31 October.

Mr Stewart told ITV's Peston: "All this talk about no-deal Brexit is a recipe for delay. It can't be done.

"And the the reason why Dom Raab is saying he is going to prorogue Parliament, in other words try to shut the doors on Parliament, is because the only way that they could try to get it through is by doing that.

"That would be illegal, if they did it for the express purpose of getting it through.

"It would be unconstitutional. It would be undemocratic. And it wouldn't work."

Meanwhile, voters are going to the polls in the Peterborough by-election as parties vie to win the marginal seat.

The constituency, which voted Leave by 60.9 per cent, is traditionally a closely fought battle between Labour and the Conservatives.

Labour won the seat in 2017 with a wafer-thin majority of 607.

Fifteen candidates are standing in Thursday's by-election, which was called after disgraced MP Fiona Onasanya was forced out for lying over a speeding offence.

Both Labour and the Conservatives have campaigned hard ahead of the June 6 by-election, with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, former prime minister Gordon Brown and Tory big guns Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt all visiting the city in the lead-up.

But Nigel Farage's Brexit Party, which won 29 seats in the European elections, has also campaigned hard in its first tilt at a Westminster seat.

Labour's by-election candidate, Unite activist Lisa Forbes, faced controversy in the week before the poll over a Facebook post she "liked" which said Theresa May has a "Zionist slave masters agenda".

She told The Sunday Times she apologised "wholeheartedly for not calling out these posts" and that she had liked the video attached to the post, "not the views expressed in the accompanying text".

In the Commons, Liam Fox, the international trade secretary, is answering questions from MPs.

Tory leadership hopeful Rory Stewart will also make his debut at the despatch box as international trade secretary.

Liam Fox has faced several questions over whether the NHS will be on the table in a US-UK trade deal after Brexit. This was a major row when Donald Trump was in town (see here).

Dr Fox, the international trade secretary, insisted the NHS was "not and will not be for sale" when pressed on the issue by Labour's Stephen Hepburn and Tory MP Tom Pursglove.

Labour's Rupa Huq goes further, asking him to commit to never making it a part of any deal. He refers her to his earlier answer.