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Brexit: Hammond says Boris Johnson wrong to claim that progress being made in talks with EU – live news Brexit: Hammond says Boris Johnson wrong to claim that progress being made in talks with EU – live news
(32 minutes later)
Lawyers for a group of 75 opposition MPs and peers will appear in court in Edinburgh this morning to urge a judge to prevent Boris Johnson from suspending parliament, bolstered by the support of Scotland’s most senior legal figure, the Lord Advocate James Wolffe QC.
The case, being brought by a group of MPs led by Joanna Cherry QC and Jolyon Maugham QC, of the Good Law Project, is the first to be heard in full of three live legal actions against the prime minister, with the others in Belfast and London.
The case in Edinburgh has further significance after Aidan O’Neill QC, the lawyer acting for the MPs and peers, told the court last week he wanted Johnson to provide a sworn affidavit explaining why prorogation was necessary and legally sound. That surprise request has yet to be fully debated and tested in court.
Wolffe will formally seek permission to take part in the Edinburgh challenge this morning but even with his backing the legal team suspect Lord Doherty, the judge hearing the case, will back the UK government at this stage, leading to an immediate appeal which is expected to be heard later this week.
The government lawyers insist the prime minister was acting entirely lawfully by asking the Queen to prorogue parliament, since it is a routine procedure backed by statute; the Queen was using her royal prerogative powers as set out by the UK’s constitution.
The former international trade secretary Liam Fox has been speaking to the BBC for the first time since he lost his cabinet position.
Q: What do you think of the vote to seize control of the order paper tomorrow to stop no deal?
Fox says he regards the vote as a constitutional matter and supports the government withdrawing the whip from conservative MPs who rebel on Brexit because it’s an existential issue for the government.
“It’s equivalent to voting against the government in a confidence vote,” he said.
“We want there to be a deal. No one is trying to remove the whip from colleagues. It would be their own behaviour in the House of Commons that would make that a reality. It’s their choice.”
Q: Do you think Johnson is handling negotiations better than May because of the no-deal threat?
Fox does not answer the question but insists the European Union believes the prime minister would take the UK out of the block with or without a deal, adding that he had assurances from the prime minister that negotiations were ongoing.
Now, the SNP’s Europe spokesman, Stephen Gethins.
Q: What is your attitude towards a general election?
“We’re really keen to see a general election and see the back of this dangerous and damaging Tory government,” he says, but cautions that getting no-deal Brexit off the table is the priority. Gethins says he does not trust the prime minister and wants to focus on stopping the UK crashing out the EU.
Nigel Farage, the Brexit party leader, is on the Today programme now.Nigel Farage, the Brexit party leader, is on the Today programme now.
He says if Boris Johnson were to promise a “clean break” in a general election, the Brexit party would support him.He says if Boris Johnson were to promise a “clean break” in a general election, the Brexit party would support him.
But that is not what Johnson is planning. Johnson wants to “reheat” Theresa May’s deal, he says.But that is not what Johnson is planning. Johnson wants to “reheat” Theresa May’s deal, he says.
He says there is “no aspect” of the treaty negotiated by May that is acceptable.He says there is “no aspect” of the treaty negotiated by May that is acceptable.
(Johnson’s view is that, without the backstop, the rest of the deal would be acceptable.)(Johnson’s view is that, without the backstop, the rest of the deal would be acceptable.)
Q: If a no-deal Brexit does lead to problems like a shortage of medicine, will you own those problems?Q: If a no-deal Brexit does lead to problems like a shortage of medicine, will you own those problems?
Farage dismisses these ideas as scares. He says the people making these claims are the same people who said that leaving the exchange rate mechanism would be a disaster, or not joining the euro would be a disaster.Farage dismisses these ideas as scares. He says the people making these claims are the same people who said that leaving the exchange rate mechanism would be a disaster, or not joining the euro would be a disaster.
He says, unlike others in this debate, he has worked in trade. He accepts that there would be problems in the short-term in the event of a no-deal Brexit, but he says these problems could be overcome.He says, unlike others in this debate, he has worked in trade. He accepts that there would be problems in the short-term in the event of a no-deal Brexit, but he says these problems could be overcome.
Shadow attorney general Shami Chakrabarti has been on the Today programme denying that there is division in the party over whether to back an election (see 6.28am). She said Labour would “need to get the sequencing right” before backing an election, and would first need “a locked in guarantee that Britain would not crash out of the EU during a campaign period”. Chakrabarti said if they could “lock things down to ensure we don’t crash out” then, of course, they would want a general election. “We are geared up for a general election and we want it as soon as possible.” The shadow attorney general, Shami Chakrabarti, has been on the Today programme denying that there is division in the party over whether to back an election (see 6.28am). She said Labour would “need to get the sequencing right” before backing an election, and would first need “a locked-in guarantee that Britain would not crash out of the EU during a campaign period”. Chakrabarti said if they could “lock things down to ensure we don’t crash out” then, of course, they would want a general election. “We are geared up for a general election and we want it as soon as possible.”
Q: What do you think of the treatment of Sonia Khan, your former special adviser who was sacked by Dominic Cummings from her job as Sajid Javid’s special adviser.Q: What do you think of the treatment of Sonia Khan, your former special adviser who was sacked by Dominic Cummings from her job as Sajid Javid’s special adviser.
Hammond says her treatment was “shocking”. He says Khan was very professional, even though she is a Brexiter, and did not agree with him on Brexit. He says she thinks Khan would have a good case if she went to an employment tribunal.Hammond says her treatment was “shocking”. He says Khan was very professional, even though she is a Brexiter, and did not agree with him on Brexit. He says she thinks Khan would have a good case if she went to an employment tribunal.
And that’s it. The interview is over.And that’s it. The interview is over.
Q: Dominic Raab says the Benn bill will undermine the negotiation? Q: Dominic Raab says the Benn bill will undermine the negotiations.
Hammond says it will certainly delay it.Hammond says it will certainly delay it.
But he says the government is being “disingenuous”. He says “there is no progress”. Boris Johnson was given 30 days by Angela Merkel to come up with a solution to the backstop. Twelve days later nothing has happened.But he says the government is being “disingenuous”. He says “there is no progress”. Boris Johnson was given 30 days by Angela Merkel to come up with a solution to the backstop. Twelve days later nothing has happened.
Q: Johnson says it is the fault of the rebels.Q: Johnson says it is the fault of the rebels.
Hammond says Johnson is talking “nonsense”.Hammond says Johnson is talking “nonsense”.
He says “no progress is being made” because “the UK government has tabled no proposals”.He says “no progress is being made” because “the UK government has tabled no proposals”.
He says there are no alternative arrangements for the backstop that would meet the UK’s red lines.He says there are no alternative arrangements for the backstop that would meet the UK’s red lines.
He says he wants to see the UK’s proposals published. He wants to see them submitted to the EU, and he wants to see the EU’s response.He says he wants to see the UK’s proposals published. He wants to see them submitted to the EU, and he wants to see the EU’s response.
He says there is not even a UK negotiating team.He says there is not even a UK negotiating team.
Hammond says the threat to deselect rebel Tories is “rank hypocrisy” given that there are eight cabinet ministers who have defied the whip in previous votes. Hammond says the threat to deselect rebel Tories is “rank hypocrisy” given there are eight cabinet ministers who have defied the whip in previous votes.
Hammond says he was readopted as a Tory candidate by his association last night. He says he does not think No 10 has the power to deselect him. There would be the fight of his life if they tried. Hammond says he was re-adopted as a Tory candidate by his association last night. He says he does not think No 10 has the power to deselect him. There would be the fight of his life if they tried.
He has been a Tory for 45 years. He says he will defend his party from incomers and entryists who are trying to turn it into a narrow sect. Some are not even Conservative party members.He has been a Tory for 45 years. He says he will defend his party from incomers and entryists who are trying to turn it into a narrow sect. Some are not even Conservative party members.
Q: Are you talking about Dominic Cummings, Boris Johnson’s de facto chief of staff?Q: Are you talking about Dominic Cummings, Boris Johnson’s de facto chief of staff?
Hammond says he understands that Cummings has never been a Tory member. That has not been denied.Hammond says he understands that Cummings has never been a Tory member. That has not been denied.
Good morning. I’m Andrew Sparrow, taking over from Frances Perraudin.Good morning. I’m Andrew Sparrow, taking over from Frances Perraudin.
Philip Hammond, the former chancellor and one of the most prominent rebel Tories backing the Benn bill designed to rule out a no-deal Brexit on 31 October, is being interviewed on the Today programme now.Philip Hammond, the former chancellor and one of the most prominent rebel Tories backing the Benn bill designed to rule out a no-deal Brexit on 31 October, is being interviewed on the Today programme now.
Justin Webb is interviewing him.Justin Webb is interviewing him.
Q: What are you going to do?Q: What are you going to do?
Hammond says he will support the bill. It is “a very modest bill in its ambitions”, he says. It seeks to extend by three months the period before the UK leaves the EU. If the government cannot renegotiate a Brexit deal, it will give the government more time.Hammond says he will support the bill. It is “a very modest bill in its ambitions”, he says. It seeks to extend by three months the period before the UK leaves the EU. If the government cannot renegotiate a Brexit deal, it will give the government more time.
Q: Do you have the numbers?Q: Do you have the numbers?
“I think so,” says Hammond. He says many colleagues have been “incensed” by No 10’s tactics.“I think so,” says Hammond. He says many colleagues have been “incensed” by No 10’s tactics.
Q: So you expect around 20 Tories to vote with you?Q: So you expect around 20 Tories to vote with you?
Hammond says they think they will have enough.Hammond says they think they will have enough.
Hammond says Tory rebels have enough support to win vote on Benn bill.Hammond says Tory rebels have enough support to win vote on Benn bill.
The former chancellor Philip Hammond is the next big Brexit name on the media rounds this morning. Last night, Runnymede and Weybridge Conservatives announced his reselection despite reported threats from No 10 that he would not be allowed to stand as a Tory candidate at a snap election if he voted against the government on Brexit this week. Would Conservative party HQ really overrule a local association?The former chancellor Philip Hammond is the next big Brexit name on the media rounds this morning. Last night, Runnymede and Weybridge Conservatives announced his reselection despite reported threats from No 10 that he would not be allowed to stand as a Tory candidate at a snap election if he voted against the government on Brexit this week. Would Conservative party HQ really overrule a local association?
Some reaction to Raab’s comments this morning and his refusal to confirm election plans that have been briefed to journalists by his own government.Some reaction to Raab’s comments this morning and his refusal to confirm election plans that have been briefed to journalists by his own government.
Anyone else how counting how many times Dominic Raab has said ‘we don’t want an election’Anyone else how counting how many times Dominic Raab has said ‘we don’t want an election’
Slightly bizarre that Foreign Secretary @DominicRaab can't confirm what his Govt is briefing ......namely Oct 14th election..... #r4TodaySlightly bizarre that Foreign Secretary @DominicRaab can't confirm what his Govt is briefing ......namely Oct 14th election..... #r4Today
Quite clear from briefings to journalists that plans for a snap election - including the date - are well advanced. Publicly ministers won’t acknowledge it at all... https://t.co/nZIB2zVoAiQuite clear from briefings to journalists that plans for a snap election - including the date - are well advanced. Publicly ministers won’t acknowledge it at all... https://t.co/nZIB2zVoAi
The foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, has been speaking to broadcasters this morning. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the bill put forward by opposition and rebel Tory MPs was deeply irresponsible.
The one handbrake on getting the country moving is this lingering doubt in Brussels that Brexit could be cancelled or delayed which is why this legislation is deeply irresponsible and I think no MP that wants to deliver on Brexit and wants to get a deal should vote for it.
He said the government didn’t want an election and that a deal with the European Union was in sight. Raab said if an election were to be called it would have been forced on the country by parliament.
The prime minister is clear we don’t want an election. I don’t think the country wants an election. We cannot countenance any further delay because it stops the country from moving forward, so the real question is – whether it’s with the shenanigans in parliament and a deeply irresponsible and counter productive bill – whether we get an election forced on the country by parliament.
He was asked about briefings that a possible date for an election would be 14 October.
What we are absolutely saying right now is that we don’t want an election.
"It's a deeply reckless and irresponsible piece of legislation."Brexiteer @DominicRaab tells #Sunrise that attempts to block a no-deal #Brexit "weakens the prime minister's hand".Analysis: The next 72 hours could transform our political landscape https://t.co/4Efpvew6UI pic.twitter.com/0dDtkGGdhj
Gavin Barwell, Theresa May’s former chief of staff, is up and tweeting. It doesn’t make good reading for No 10. The former MP for Croydon Central has backed up reports in the Telegraph that the government’s Brexit negotiations with the EU are “a sham” and urged the prime minister to publish his Irish backstop plans.
V important thread for MPs who would support a deal but not no deal. I've had same reports re "sham negotiations" from multiple govt sources. If not true (my views were sometimes misreported when I was Chief of Staff) Government should publish its proposals to replace backstop https://t.co/YV8cGefcd2
If you’ve got a spare five minutes this morning before the parliamentary action gets going, please remember to register to vote if you haven’t done already. Here’s the link. You might need your national insurance number handy, according to the website.
The BBC’s Samira Ahmed has a useful reminder for students about to head off to university or people with especially busy Mondays: register for a proxy vote. Again, here’s the link.
If you know students going to university for the first time, be aware unless they register for a proxy vote, there’s a risk they might miss voting in any October general election. And it seems to be a cumbersome process requiring the university to stamp the form.
It’s Frances Perraudin here, taking over the live blog for a few hours.
Here’s a bit more on the Justine Greening announcement. She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that she would remain a Tory member but that the decision to stand down as an MP had been on her mind for some time. “This is not an overnight decision,” she said.
She said “communities elect people to represent them” and that she had no doubt the next MP for Putney would be pro-remain, as that was the position of the majority of her constituents.
It’s very clear to me that my concerns about the Conservative party becoming the Brexit party, in effect, have come to pass, so my decision is that if I really want to make a difference on opportunity and social mobility, I need to do that outside parliament.
She said she didn’t think the Conservative party would “offer people a sensible choice at the next election”.
Greening said: “Boris Johnson is going to offer people a general election that faces them with a choice between no deal or Jeremy Corbyn. That is a lose-lose general election for Britain and I think a far better way of resolving a path forward on Brexit is to give people a direct choice on the different options on Brexit themselves, rather than a messy general election, which I believe, yet again, will be inconclusive on a route forward on Brexit.”
I’m staggered that all these months and years, Jeremy Corbyn has been calling for a general election and it seems that my government is about to hand him that prize on a plate.
Justine Greening, the MP for Putney, has just announced on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme she will not stand in the next election. She blamed “concerns about the Conservative party becoming the Brexit party” and says she can do more for social mobility outside parliament.
Skeptics will say she was likely to lose seat anyway + has been pushing for another referendum anyway - but she’s someone who knows how to win marginal seat and says Johnson won’t offer ‘sensible choice’ to voters
Some of today’s front pages
Tuesday’s GUARDIAN: “Johnson’s ultimatum: back me or face a snap Brexit election” #bbcpapers #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/2iiBPomAhx
Tuesday’s Daily MIRROR: “Snappy election” #bbcpapers #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/I0dMT5g0dx
Tuesday’s Daily MAIL: “Boris Names Election Date” #bbcpapers #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/sgRGv2BlLI
William Hague says election is the only way to solve Brexit crisis
Press Assocation has this report:
The former Conservative party leader William Hague has called for Britain to go to the polls, saying the only way to solve the Brexit crisis is by electing a new parliament.
Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Hague said the current parliament had shown itself to be unworkable, regardless of any strategies employed by Mr Johnson.
“We have a parliament that cannot go backwards, forwards, or agree to sit still,” Mr Hague wrote.
“It is unable to agree on the best or prepare for the worst. While we should not blame all the individuals in it, many of whom have striven to avoid this paralysis, the collective effect of this Rubik’s Cube of a House of Commons is that it cannot properly serve the country in any scenario that we can now construct.
“It is the most seriously defunct parliament of modern times. There is only one solution to that. It is the one adopted in each of our serious constitutional crises of recent centuries.
“In 1910, when the Lords refused to bow to the elected government; in 1831, as the arguments raged over the great reform bill; in 1784, as the Commons rebelled against the king’s choice of ministers, the argument was settled by the electorate being asked to choose a new parliament.
“The right course for Boris Johnson is not to prorogue parliament but to seek to dissolve it.” Hague said he liked many things about the Johnson administration but “a long suspension of parliament as a political tactic is not … something that I can defend”.
“If it is so divided and incapable, and so irreconcilable with the government – all of which it is – this parliament needs to be replaced with a new one,” he said.
Tuesday’s Daily TELEGRAPH: “ ‘I don’t want an election, you don’t want an election...’ ...but it’s planned for October 14” #bbcpapers #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/QRiZbuW0bC
There appears to be some division in the Labour ranks on the question of whether they would welcome a general election.
Speaking at a rally in Salford last night, Jeremy Corbyn said Labour was ready to “take the fight to the Tories”. He said:
I am proud to lead our party, I’m proud to take the fight to the Tories and I will be delighted when the election comes. I’m ready for it, you’re ready for it, we’re ready for it, we’ll take the message out there and above all we will win for the people of this country.
However, Labour’s shadow Northern Ireland secretary Tony Lloyd later appeared to contradict his leader, saying Labour would first push to have legislation passed blocking a no-deal Brexit, the so-called Benn bill.
“We will in fact work through the parliamentary process to make sure that this law is passed,” Lloyd told BBC Two’s Newsnight.
Obviously once we’ve guaranteed that we pass October the 31st and don’t have a no-deal Brexit, of course we want an election.
He also said Labour would not fall for a trap set by Boris Johnson.
We are not daft enough to see a tactic dictated by Prime Minister Johnson which is designed to land us with a no-deal Brexit and to fall for that.
Will we fall for Boris Johnson’s trick, no we won’t. Boris Johnson is a man who has got form for reneging on his promises.
Labour MP for Kingston upon Hull North, Diana Johnson, tweeted this morning that she “will not be supporting any attempt by the PM to force a General Election at this time of national crisis.”
I will not be supporting any attempt by the PM to force a General Election at this time of national crisis. We first need to avert a no deal crash out of the EU on 31st October. https://t.co/SeSoSu2lOj
Need more of your senses engaged with Brexit news? The Guardian’s Jonathan Freedland has joined Anushka Asthana on our daily podcast Today in Focus to discuss a pivotal week ahead in British politics.
Parliament returns for Brexit showdown – podcast
Good morning and welcome to politics live on what is shaping up to be a day of high political drama.
A coalition of cross-party MPs are expected to put forward legislation today that would force Boris Johnson to request a delay to Brexit.
The bill, which the MPs hope to push through parliament at high speed if they seize control of the Commons timetable, would require Johnson to extend departure until 31 January, unless MPs backed a deal or approved no deal.
However, Johnson issued an ultimatum to rebel MPs saying that if they were to push ahead with the bill, he would call a snap general election next month – something Jerebyn Corbyn says he is delighted about.
Johnson made the announcement in a televised address outside No 10 that was punctuated by protesters crying out “stop the coup”. He said there were “no circumstances” under which departure from the EU would not happen on 31 October.
Johnson said the backbench bill, signed by the former chancellor Philip Hammond, the ex-justice secretary David Gauke and others, would “chop the legs out” from the UK’s Brexit negotiations.
Today could be a very significant day, as the success or failure of the vote on the bill slated to be brought before parliament will have a huge impact on the shape of the weeks to come.
I’m Kate Lyons and will be at the helm of the blog for the first little while, before handing over to my colleagues. I do a lot of live-blogging and this is hands down the most lively, interactive group of readers I get the occasional privilege of blogging to, which makes things much more fun, so please get in touch – via the comments, on Twitter or via email (kate.lyons@theguardian.com) with your thoughts, questions, jokes etc.
Deep breath in, let’s go!
Boris Johnson’s ultimatum: back me or face 14 October election