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Brexit: MPs debate fresh attempt to block autumn no-deal prorogation - live news Brexit: MPs debate fresh attempt to block autumn no-deal prorogation - live news
(32 minutes later)
The DUP’s Emma Little-Pengelly says the Northern Ireland assembly has never voted to relax abortion laws in Northern Ireland.
If you want to know more about what prorogation actually involves, this is worth a read.
MPs are currently debating an amendment to the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation) Bill. It concerns the use of prorogation in the context of a no-deal #Brexit. What does ‘proroguing' Parliament involve? And what authority is needed? Find out more https://t.co/fFilJGQUCy
The DUP’s Ian Paisley complains about how the bill has been hijacked for other purposes. And he says the bill will make the restoration of the power-sharing executive less likely (because those who want abortion laws relaxed and same-sex marriage allowed in Northern Ireland now have no incentive to back the resumption of the executive).
Dominic Grieve, the Conservative former attorney general, says he has some sympathy for the points made by Fiona Bruce and Nigel Dodds. But MPs are responding to a power vacuum in Northern Ireland.
Referring to the Benn amendment, Grieve says it is extraordinary to suggest that MPs might not be allowed to sit when they need to consider important matters.
Sir Oliver Letwin asks Grieve to confirm this this amendment is designed to block the use of prerogative powers to prorogue parliament. Grieve confirms that.
He says, if MPs do not back this amendment, their role as a protector of democracy will have been “shot to pieces”.
Tom Brake, the Lib Dem Brexit spokesman, says Boris Johnson’s threat to prorogue parliament to push through a no-deal Brexit would shame a dictator in a banana republic.
Now in the debate Fiona Bruce, a Conservative, is also complaining about how this bill have been extended beyond its original intent, as a result of the abortion amendment passed when it was in the Commons last week.
She says Northern Ireland should decide its own abortion law. She says MPs talk about what it means to be colonial. She suggests that this is what new colonialism looks like (Westminster legislating for Northern Ireland).
The Sun’s Steve Hawkes thinks Nigel Dodds has a point about new abortion laws for Northern Ireland being rushed through. (See 12.50pm.)
Wherever you stand on changing same-sex marriage and abortion laws in Northern Ireland Nigel Dodds is making a v powerful case about the way the change is being rushed through because "the ends justify the means". Can't imagine the SNP would like a law being changed like this
Nigel Dodds, the DUP leader at Westminster, also complains that this Northern Ireland bill is being hijacked for alternative purposes.
He says the abortion amendments added to the bill, particularly one added in the Lords, would leave Northern Ireland in “limbo” for a period of months without an effective abortion law.
Justine Greening, the Tory former education secretary, says MPs should back this “common sense’ amendment.
She says, if this amendment does not pass, “we will have crossed a rubicon”. If it is defeated, it will establish the precedent that if a government is running into trouble, it can just shut parliament down.
Sir Oliver Letwin, a Conservative, says in future people will look back and think it was extraordinary that there was ever any controversy about ensuring the Commons is sitting at a time when a major national decision needs to be taken.
Labour’s Angela Eagle agrees. She says any proper Conservative, unlike Boris Johnson, would have ruled out the idea of proroguing parliament to stop MPs blocking a no-deal Brexit.
The DUP’s Ian Paisley complains that a bill that was supposed to be about the Northern Ireland executive has been hijacked and turned into a bill about Brexit.
Labour’s Angela Eagle says she understands Paisley’s point. But it’s a case of “needs must”, she says. She says this has been the longest session of parliament since the civil war. That is because the government daren’t prorogue parliament and have a new Queen’s speech in case that gets voted down, she says.
She says MPs are amending this bill because it is the legislative vehicle that is available.
Here is the full text of the Benn amendment.Here is the full text of the Benn amendment.
Page 1, line 16, at end insert—Page 1, line 16, at end insert—
“(2C)“(2C)
If, as a result of parliament standing prorogued or adjourned, a minister of the crown cannot comply with the obligations in subsection (2A) or (2B), a proclamation under the Meeting of Parliament Act 1797 (c. 127) shall require parliament to meet on a specified day within the period within which compliance with subsection (2B) is required and to meet on the five following days (other than Saturdays, Sundays or a day which is a bank holiday in the United Kingdom or in any part of the United Kingdom) to allow for compliance with subsection (2B).”If, as a result of parliament standing prorogued or adjourned, a minister of the crown cannot comply with the obligations in subsection (2A) or (2B), a proclamation under the Meeting of Parliament Act 1797 (c. 127) shall require parliament to meet on a specified day within the period within which compliance with subsection (2B) is required and to meet on the five following days (other than Saturdays, Sundays or a day which is a bank holiday in the United Kingdom or in any part of the United Kingdom) to allow for compliance with subsection (2B).”
Alistair Burt, the Conservative former Foreign Office minister who has also signed the Benn amendment (see 11.26am), says this proposal would not force the Commons to vote in any given way on a no-deal Brexit in the autumn. It would just ensure that the Commons was sitting, so that MPs could take a decision, he says.Alistair Burt, the Conservative former Foreign Office minister who has also signed the Benn amendment (see 11.26am), says this proposal would not force the Commons to vote in any given way on a no-deal Brexit in the autumn. It would just ensure that the Commons was sitting, so that MPs could take a decision, he says.
MPs are now debating the Northern Ireland (executive formation) bill.MPs are now debating the Northern Ireland (executive formation) bill.
The bill has already gone through the Commons and the Lords, and this debate is what’s known as “consideration of Lords amendments”.The bill has already gone through the Commons and the Lords, and this debate is what’s known as “consideration of Lords amendments”.
Hilary Benn, the Labour chair of the Commons Brexit committee, goes first. He is moving his amendment 1. (See 11am.) He says his amendment would ensure that, if parliament is prorogued in the autumn, it would get recalled under the terms of this bill.Hilary Benn, the Labour chair of the Commons Brexit committee, goes first. He is moving his amendment 1. (See 11am.) He says his amendment would ensure that, if parliament is prorogued in the autumn, it would get recalled under the terms of this bill.
He says the amendment does not create a new constitutional principle. It just ensure that parliament would be sitting when it needs to be sitting, in line with existing legislation.He says the amendment does not create a new constitutional principle. It just ensure that parliament would be sitting when it needs to be sitting, in line with existing legislation.
Jeremy Corbyn faces a new front in internal dissent over his handling of antisemitism in the party, with Labour peers set to hold a vote of no-confidence in the leader next week, it has emerged.Jeremy Corbyn faces a new front in internal dissent over his handling of antisemitism in the party, with Labour peers set to hold a vote of no-confidence in the leader next week, it has emerged.
The plan is for Labour peers to hold an emergency meeting on Monday afternoon to consider the idea. If it is taken forward, the ballot would take place over Tuesday and Wednesday, with the result soon afterwards, it is understood.The plan is for Labour peers to hold an emergency meeting on Monday afternoon to consider the idea. If it is taken forward, the ballot would take place over Tuesday and Wednesday, with the result soon afterwards, it is understood.
If the no-confidence motion was passed it would have no formal effect, but would be a blow to the authority of Corbyn.If the no-confidence motion was passed it would have no formal effect, but would be a blow to the authority of Corbyn.
Earlier this week more than 60 took out an advertisement in the Guardian accusing Corbyn of having “failed the test of leadership” over his handling of antisemitism complaints within the party.Earlier this week more than 60 took out an advertisement in the Guardian accusing Corbyn of having “failed the test of leadership” over his handling of antisemitism complaints within the party.
The latest move follows the decision by Corbyn’s office to sack Baroness Hayter as a Brexit minister in the Lords after she accused Corbyn of having a “bunker mentality” similar to the final days of Hitler.The latest move follows the decision by Corbyn’s office to sack Baroness Hayter as a Brexit minister in the Lords after she accused Corbyn of having a “bunker mentality” similar to the final days of Hitler.
The European commission has now itself debunked Boris Johnson’s claim about kipper food safety regulations, the Telegraph’s James Crisp reports.The European commission has now itself debunked Boris Johnson’s claim about kipper food safety regulations, the Telegraph’s James Crisp reports.
European Commission spokeswoman has now confirmed the story on record. "Our priority in the EU is the health of our citizens as well as safeguarding our standards in terms of public health and food safety - the highest in the world.European Commission spokeswoman has now confirmed the story on record. "Our priority in the EU is the health of our citizens as well as safeguarding our standards in terms of public health and food safety - the highest in the world.
"While the food business operator has an obligation to meet the microbiological requirements to ensure the safety of its food, however the sale of products from the food business operator to the final consumer is not covered by EU legislation on food hygiene.""While the food business operator has an obligation to meet the microbiological requirements to ensure the safety of its food, however the sale of products from the food business operator to the final consumer is not covered by EU legislation on food hygiene."
"The case described by Mr Johnson falls thus purely under UK national competence. ""The case described by Mr Johnson falls thus purely under UK national competence. "
At the last Tory leadership hustings last night Boris Johnson brandished a kipper from the Isle of Man, and claimed that it exemplified why EU rules were so damaging. He said that the producer was complaining that, because of new EU regulations, he now has to send kippers through the post with a plastic ice pillow, making the whole process much more expensive.At the last Tory leadership hustings last night Boris Johnson brandished a kipper from the Isle of Man, and claimed that it exemplified why EU rules were so damaging. He said that the producer was complaining that, because of new EU regulations, he now has to send kippers through the post with a plastic ice pillow, making the whole process much more expensive.
As is often the case when Johnson is talking about EU regulations, it turns out that he was not being accurate. The Telegraph’s James Crisp explains why here.As is often the case when Johnson is talking about EU regulations, it turns out that he was not being accurate. The Telegraph’s James Crisp explains why here.
NEW: EU sources insist that rules that mean smoked kipper producers in the Isle of Man must use "plastic ice pillow" when sending to UK, as made famous by Boris Johnson, are BRITISH rules and not Brussels' rules. 1/NEW: EU sources insist that rules that mean smoked kipper producers in the Isle of Man must use "plastic ice pillow" when sending to UK, as made famous by Boris Johnson, are BRITISH rules and not Brussels' rules. 1/
This is a national competence. The EU does not regulate sales of smoked fish to consumer, only sale of fish from business to business. The Isle of Man example is outside scope of EU food safety rules. 2/This is a national competence. The EU does not regulate sales of smoked fish to consumer, only sale of fish from business to business. The Isle of Man example is outside scope of EU food safety rules. 2/
I am told smoked kippers to individual customers through the post is "entirely a UK" matter. Here is the British government advice on the matterhttps://t.co/XPFtt3iBdV3/I am told smoked kippers to individual customers through the post is "entirely a UK" matter. Here is the British government advice on the matterhttps://t.co/XPFtt3iBdV3/
4. "All foods must be delivered to consumers in a way that ensures they dont become unsafe or unfit to eat. Foods that need refrigerating must be kept cool while they are being transported.This may need to be packed in an insulated box with a coolant gel or in a cool bag" 44. "All foods must be delivered to consumers in a way that ensures they dont become unsafe or unfit to eat. Foods that need refrigerating must be kept cool while they are being transported.This may need to be packed in an insulated box with a coolant gel or in a cool bag" 4
The EU has broad rules saying that food should be safe but nothing asking for the ice pillow. That is a British addition designed to stop Listeria, a prob w/ smoked products and, I hear, is actually a good rule. 5The EU has broad rules saying that food should be safe but nothing asking for the ice pillow. That is a British addition designed to stop Listeria, a prob w/ smoked products and, I hear, is actually a good rule. 5
So to sum up. There are no EU food safety rules on smoked fish which mean a smoked kipper salesman needs to stick an ice pillow in his fish when he pops it in the post. But there are British food safety rules that do.7So to sum up. There are no EU food safety rules on smoked fish which mean a smoked kipper salesman needs to stick an ice pillow in his fish when he pops it in the post. But there are British food safety rules that do.7
So Boris got it wrong when he used the kipper as an example of EU red tape Brexit Britain could escape from. pic.twitter.com/cWst7MCYnpSo Boris got it wrong when he used the kipper as an example of EU red tape Brexit Britain could escape from. pic.twitter.com/cWst7MCYnp
Turning back to Brexit, Nick Robinson has written a very thorough summary of the revelations in his Panorama programme tonight here, under the title “10 things that stopped Brexit happening”.Turning back to Brexit, Nick Robinson has written a very thorough summary of the revelations in his Panorama programme tonight here, under the title “10 things that stopped Brexit happening”.
In the programme Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiate, and Martin Selmayr, the European commission’s secretary general, both say Theresa May never explicitly threatened to leave without a deal in their private talks. Barnier told the programme:In the programme Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiate, and Martin Selmayr, the European commission’s secretary general, both say Theresa May never explicitly threatened to leave without a deal in their private talks. Barnier told the programme:
I think that the UK side, which is well informed and competent and knows the way we work on the EU side, knew from the very beginning that we’ve never been impressed by such a threat. It’s not useful to use it.I think that the UK side, which is well informed and competent and knows the way we work on the EU side, knew from the very beginning that we’ve never been impressed by such a threat. It’s not useful to use it.
May’s remaining time in No 10 might be so short that it can now safely be measured in hours, but it seems she is not above still getting furiously annoyed by political foes – and at this morning’s lobby briefing we got a clue as to how she feels about Barnier.May’s remaining time in No 10 might be so short that it can now safely be measured in hours, but it seems she is not above still getting furiously annoyed by political foes – and at this morning’s lobby briefing we got a clue as to how she feels about Barnier.
Asked about Barnier’s claim, May’s spokesman not only denied this, but gave a reply dripping with sarcasm.Asked about Barnier’s claim, May’s spokesman not only denied this, but gave a reply dripping with sarcasm.
Can I begin by saying how nice it was to hear from Michel Barnier again this morning, and how generous it was of the BBC to give him a platform to share his views with us all. On that specific point, the prime minister was clear, both in public and in private that the UK was prepared to leave without a deal.Can I begin by saying how nice it was to hear from Michel Barnier again this morning, and how generous it was of the BBC to give him a platform to share his views with us all. On that specific point, the prime minister was clear, both in public and in private that the UK was prepared to leave without a deal.
No love lost, it would seem.No love lost, it would seem.
In the Commons David Lidington, the Cabinet Office minister, is making a statement now about covering rendition and the treatment of detainees.
He says the UK does not practice or condone torture.
There is already guidance for the security services setting out the rules for detainees who are interrogated overseas. He says that new guidance is being issued.
Theresa May has set out details in a written statement today, he says.
Lidington says, after 9/11, it took the British intelligence agencies too long to appreciate the extent to which other countries were using torture (or unacceptable practices, as Lidingon puts it).
He says lessons have been learnt. Three separate reports into this have been published, he says.
He says better guidance is now coupled with a world-leading oversight regime. The intelligence and security committee has new powers to oversee the intelligence services, he says.
He says the rules make it clear that ministers must be consulted if there is a real risk of detainees being mistreated by others.
Addressing calls for a further public inquiry, Lidington says in 2013 the government said it would consider the case for a further judicial inquiry after other investigations were over.
Lidington says the government has ruled out a further judicial inquiry.
There is no policy need for one, he says.
And there is no judicial need for one. He says mistreatment allegations have been investigated by the police.
Lidington rules out further judicial inquiry into British collusion with rendition and the torture of terrorist suspects.
Hilary Benn, the Labour chair of the Commons Brexit committee, and Alistair Burt, the the former Foreign Office minister, have joined up to table a new amendment to the Northern Ireland (executive formation) bill that would categorically stop a new prime minister proroguing parliament in the autumn to facilitate a no-deal Brexit, Sky’s Beth Rigby reports. She says it has been selected.
It’s selected. The cross-party amendment to stop Johnson suspending parliament to vote thru Brexit. Will there be resignations? Being steered away from Hammond quitting but let’s see pic.twitter.com/YPo3RdODDv
Knife crime in England and Wales hit a record high in 2018/19, up 8% on the previous year, the Press Association reports. Police recorded 43,516 offences involving knives or sharp objects in the year to March 2019, the highest since comparable records began in 2011. The figures released this morning by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) do not include Greater Manchester Police, which records data differently. There was a rise of 3,301 knife crime offences from 2017/18, with the volume of offences up 42% since the year ending March 2011. The total number of homicides in 2018/19 increased slightly to 701 offences from 693 in the previous 12 months, excluding terror attacks. Mark Bangs, from the ONS Centre for Crime and Justice, said:
The picture of crime is a complex one. Overall levels of crime have remained steady, but this is not the case for all types of crime.
For example, overall levels of violence have remained steady but we have seen increases in violent crimes involving knives and sharp instruments.
We have seen increases in fraud and overall theft, but decreases in burglary following recent rises.
The RAF is heading into space, Penny Mordaunt, the defence secretary, told a conference this morning. As the Press Association reports, the UK is joining Operation Olympic Defender, a US-led international unit aimed at strengthening deterrence against hostile actors in space and at stopping the spread of debris in orbit. Mordaunt told the Air and Space Power Conference in central London that an RAF pilot is set to be seconded to the Virgin Orbit small satellite programme. She noted that Virgin Orbit already has pilots with astronaut training and it is carrying out research into launching small satellites into space from the wing of a Boeing 747. She said:
Science fiction is becoming science fact. One day I want to see RAF pilots earning their space wings and flying beyond the stratosphere.
So, today I can announce we’re making a giant leap in that direction by working towards placing a test pilot into the Virgin Orbit programme.
Here is my colleague Larry Elliott’s story about what the Office for Budget Responsiblity is saying about the impact of a no-deal Brexit.
No-deal Brexit would plunge Britain into a recession, says OBR
As mentioned earlier (see 9.45am), the OBR say itself that it’s no-deal stress test is not based on a worst-case scenario.
And Philip Hammond, the chancellor, has just been making this point too. In a clip broadcast by Sky, Hammond said that a no-deal Brexit of the kind being considered by some prominent Brexiters (he meant Boris Johnson) would hit the economy much harder. He explained:
The report that the OBR have published this morning shows that even in the most benign version of a no-deal exit there would be a very significant hit to the UK economy, a very significant reduction in tax revenues and a big increase in our national debt - a recession caused by a no-deal Brexit.
But that most benign version is not the version that is being talked about by prominent Brexiters. They are talking about a much harder version, which would cause much more disruption to our economy. And the OBR is clear that in that less benign version of no-deal the hit would be much greater, the impact would be much harder, the recession would be bigger.
So I greatly fear the impact on our economy and our public finances of the kind of no deal Brexit that is realistically being discussed now.
In his press conference Robert Chote, the head of the OBR, explained the difference between the more benign no-deal that on which the OBR stress test was based, and a more disruptive no-deal. He said:
We’ve looked at the fiscal implications of the less severe of the two no-deal, no-transition scenarios set out by the International Monetary Fund in its World Economic Outlook. This scenario is not necessarily the most likely outcome, and it is relatively benign compared to some, for example, assuming no major short-term border disruptions. A more disruptive outcome, closer to the Bank of England scenario that we used for our stress test two years ago, would have more severe consequences.
As Stephen Barclay, the Brexit secretary, told MPs yesterday, the government’s no-deal planning does assume delays at the border.
Tonight the BBC is showing a Panorama programme made by Nick Robinson exploring why the Brexit talks failed. Among the people he interviewed was Frans Timmermans, the first vice president of the European commission.
As Politico Europe reports, Timmermans said that before the negotiations started the EU assumed that the British team would be “brilliant” because of the professionalism of their civil service. But the EU quickly realised this was not the case, Timmermans said. He went on:
And then the first time I saw public utterances by David Davis and I saw him not coming [to Brussels], not negotiating, grandstanding elsewhere I thought: ‘Oh my God, they haven’t got a plan, they haven’t got a plan’.
That was really shocking frankly, because the damage if you don’t have a plan — you know, we see it — time’s running out and you don’t have a plan, it’s like Lance Corporal Jones — you know, ‘Don’t panic, don’t panic’, running around like idiots.
Lord Callanan, a Brexit minister, has responded with his own Dad’s Army quote, my colleague Jennifer Rankin reports.
Brexit war of words via Dad's Army lines.Bx minister Callanan responds to Timmermans "running around like idiots” comments."If he was such a big fan of Dad’s army he would know the riposte from Captain Mainwaring to such comments: ’stupid boy’"
And here is an extract from what the OBR report says about a no-deal Brexit.
In Chapter 10 we carry out a fiscal ‘stress test’ that quantifies the impact on the public finances of a particular no-deal, no-transition Brexit scenario, namely the less disruptive of the two presented by the IMF in its April 2019 World Economic Outlook. While it is a scenario, rather than a forecast, it is nevertheless useful for exploring the channels through which the public finances might respond in the case of a no-deal Brexit.
Heightened uncertainty and declining confidence deter investment, while higher trade barriers with the EU weigh on exports. Together, these push the economy into recession, with asset prices and the pound falling sharply. Real GDP falls by 2% by the end of 2020 and is 4% below our March forecast by that point. Higher trade barriers also slow growth in potential productivity, while lower net inward migration reduces labour force growth, so potential output is lower than the baseline throughout the scenario (and beyond). The imposition of tariffs and the sterling depreciation raise inflation and squeeze real household incomes, but the monetary policy committee is able to cut bank rate to support demand, helping to bring output back towards potential and inflation back towards target.
Borrowing is around £30bn a year higher than our March forecast from 2020-21 onwards. Lower receipts – in particular income tax and NICs (due to the recession) and capital taxes (due to weaker asset prices) – explain most of the deterioration. These are partly offset by lower debt interest spending (thanks to lower interest rates and RPI inflation) and the revenue raised customs duties (which are treated as EU rather than UK taxes in the baseline). Higher borrowing and the assumed rollover of Term Funding Scheme loans leave public sector net debt around 12% of GDP higher than our March forecast by 2023-24.
The OBR also says this stress test is “by no means a worst-case scenario under a no-deal, no-transition Brexit”.
The Office for Budget Responsibility’s 300-page Fiscal Risks Report is here (pdf).
My colleague Graeme Wearden is covering the publication of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s Fiscal Risks Report on his business live blog here.
No-deal Brexit 'would send UK into recession', forecasters fear - business live
The blog also has a link to a live feed from the OBR’s press conference.
This is from Sky’s Ed Conway.
Breaking: @OBR_UK warns that a no deal Brexit could cause leave a £30bn hole in the public finances
MPs trying to use parliamentary votes to stop a no-deal Brexit have not had much luck recently. Last month the government comfortably defeated a Labour attempt to allow backbenchers to take control of the Commons timetable which, if passed, might have allowed a bill opposing no-deal to be passed. Last week the Speaker refused to call a Dominic Grieve amendment that would definitely prevented the next prime minister proroguing parliament in the autumn to facilitate a no-deal Brexit. Grieve also lost votes on two other related amendments. But he did win a vote on a move saying the government would have to publish fortnightly reports in the autumn on progress towards restoring the power-sharing executive in Northern Ireland. He acknowledged that this on its own would not necessarily stop an autumn prorogation, but he said he hoped peers would beef it up in the Lords. But even this relatively anaemic amendment only passed by one vote, and that was just because a government whip, Jo Churchill, forgot to cast her vote.
Last night the House of Lords did beef up the original Grieve proposal, by passing an amendment saying there would have to be debates on those fortnightly reports mandated by Grieve. Whether this would stop a new PM proroguing parliament is a matter of debate, but at the very least it would provide stronger legal grounds for a court challenge against a decision to prorogue.
Today the government will try to reverse that decision in the Commons. At one level it is just a dispute about a narrow procedural amendment, but of course this has become a contest about whether or not parliament should be willing to contemplate a no-deal Brexit.
Based on how MPs voted last week, the government should have a decent chance of winning. But last night Newsnight’s Nicholas Watt reported that some pro-European cabinet ministers were considering resigning so that they could vote against the government.
Breaking: I have learnt that some cabinet ministers are giving serious consideration to resigning tomorrow to vote in favour of preventing the next prime minister from suspending parliament. No final decisions made yet on resignations. More at 22:30 on Newsnight@BBCNewsnight
“It would be to support a possible vote in parliament that would effectively block the next prime minister from suspending parliament” – our political editor Nick Watt on rumours that major ministers may decide to resign tomorrow@nicholaswatt | #newsnight pic.twitter.com/9vnH9MV5ld
And this morning David Gauke, the justice secretary, refused to rule out rebelling over this issue. He did not say he definitely would resign (and on many occasions pro-Europeans ministers have threatened to quit over Brexit only to back down at the last minute). But instead of just saying that he would support the government, he told the Today programme that he had not yet made up his mind. This is what he said when asked how he would vote:
I will have to see what the precise amendments are and we’re hearing what the whipping will be and the arguments for that so I’m not in a position to necessarily say.
But what I would say is the idea that parliament should be suspended in October - a period where it always sits, parliament has always in recent years sat at that time of year - at a crucial point in this country’s history, if you like, that parliament should not be able to sit, should not be able to express its opinion and its will, I think would be outrageous.
I very much doubt that any prime minister would in fact suspend parliament in these circumstances but I can understand the concerns that a lot of my colleagues have.
Gauke, of course, expects to be sacked by the new prime minister (almost certainly Boris Johnson) next week. So he does not really have much to lose.
I will be covering the debate in full.
Here is the agenda for the day.
9.30am: David Gauke, the justice secretary, gives a speech on sentencing.
9.30am: Crime figures for England and Wales are published.
9.30am: The Office for Budget Responsibility publishes is Fiscal Risks Report.
10am: The Alternative Arrangements Commission, an independent body set up to look for alternatives to the Northern Ireland backstop, publishes its final report.
Around 12pm: MPs debate the Northern Ireland (executive formation) bill. As Jessica Elgot reports, the government will seek to overturn a vote in the Lords adding an amendment to the bill intended to make it harder for the next PM to prorogue parliament in the autumn to facilitate a no-deal Brexit.
As usual, I will be covering breaking political news as it happens, as well as bringing you the best reaction, comment and analysis from the web. I plan to publish a summary when I wrap up.
You can read all the latest Guardian politics articles here. Here is the Politico Europe roundup of this morning’s political news. And here is the PoliticsHome list of today’s top 10 must-reads.
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