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Brexit: government fails in bid to call a general election for 15 October – live news Brexit: government fails in bid to call a general election for 15 October – live news
(32 minutes later)
Salma Shah, Sajid Javid’s aide who got sacked by Dominic Cummings last week, tells Peston that she believes it’s still possible that it all works out for the PM in the end, and that he is trying to unite the leave votes with his current course.
Grieve says May lost an opportunity in January to put her rejected Brexit deal to the people in a referendum. He says he’s getting “irritated” by politicians who only aim to further their own career interests.
McDonnell’s comments about the timing of a general election are at odds with those of Jeremy Corbyn.
This from Sky’s Beth Rigby:
Labour: Corbyn tells Commons he will back GE once No Deal gets royal assent (suggests next few days). And McDonnell tells @Peston party still talking about whether to delay it past Oct 31 https://t.co/ITJwqU7jE7
McDonnell tells Peston now that Labour wants the electorate to have a “proper choice” when they go to the polls, and says this would be the case after the PM has met with the EU council and has come back with a deal or nothing.
He says the problem is that the Fixed Parliament Act does not provide an option for MPs to set a binding date for a general election, but that that’s precisely what parliament is now trying to achieve.
“We will offer the people the final say,” he says.
Lots of MP’s are insisting that Boris Johnson cannot be trusted tonight. Here Labour MP Lisa Nandy on BBC Newsnight. “If I’ve learnt one thing about Boris Johnson over the last few months, it’s that you can’t trust a word he says.”
Labour MP Lisa Nandy says that she believes it is important that the Brexit delay bill "is implemented, not just passed… before we vote for a General Election” because “you just can’t trust a word” Boris Johnson says.#Newsnight | @lisanandy pic.twitter.com/Wkf9ZDcVmL
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell is now on Peston. He says once there is legislative security around no deal being outlawed, Labour will look at a date for a general election.
He says party members are being consulted on the best time for a general election. He says he “desperately” wants one, but that the PM can’t be trusted. He says that he believes a deal can still be done.
This from ITV’s Joe Pike:
PM tells @Peston on his purge of rebels: ‘These are friends of mine.’ He takes ‘no pleasure’ in withdrawing whip but they were warned of the consequences.
Is Boris Johnson confident that he’ll get his general election before the EU council meeting? Is he going to be “a permanent lame duck?”, asks Peston.
“I think the position by the Labour party, to be so consumed by cowardice as to resist a general election, is not politically sustainable,” the PM responds.
The PM told Peston earlier that “it’s been a very good day”, before starting to list several areas his government is intending to invest in, such as schools, police and social care.The PM told Peston earlier that “it’s been a very good day”, before starting to list several areas his government is intending to invest in, such as schools, police and social care.
He said tonight’s events effectively wrote the letter to the EU asking for another extension for him.He said tonight’s events effectively wrote the letter to the EU asking for another extension for him.
Like earlier in the Commons, he uses the word “sad” again to describe the situation.Like earlier in the Commons, he uses the word “sad” again to describe the situation.
Peston asks if he really will expel Tory MPs who might vote against his deal with Brussels, like the PM said he would yesterday.Peston asks if he really will expel Tory MPs who might vote against his deal with Brussels, like the PM said he would yesterday.
Johnson repeats his “what’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander” line, but is otherwise pretty evasive.Johnson repeats his “what’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander” line, but is otherwise pretty evasive.
Peston has just started, where Jess Phillips and Dominic Grieve currently discuss the punishment of the 21 Tory rebels who defied the government whip yesterday.Peston has just started, where Jess Phillips and Dominic Grieve currently discuss the punishment of the 21 Tory rebels who defied the government whip yesterday.
Grieve, introduced to the audience as a “Former Conservative” tonight, says it’ll depend on when the next election is and on the circumstances whether he will run or not.Grieve, introduced to the audience as a “Former Conservative” tonight, says it’ll depend on when the next election is and on the circumstances whether he will run or not.
Phillips repeats she wouldn’t trust Johnson on anything, and that she believes he will try and force no deal.Phillips repeats she wouldn’t trust Johnson on anything, and that she believes he will try and force no deal.
This from Metro’s Joel Taylor:This from Metro’s Joel Taylor:
Boris Johnson is now wanting to ‘trust in the British people’ in a general election https://t.co/fJniSLSwBjBoris Johnson is now wanting to ‘trust in the British people’ in a general election https://t.co/fJniSLSwBj
Anna Soubry is one of many MPs that are outraged by the treatment of the Conservative rebels.Anna Soubry is one of many MPs that are outraged by the treatment of the Conservative rebels.
This is utterly disgraceful and I cannot believe that the likes of @AmberRuddHR @NickyMorgan01 @RobertBuckland @MattHancock are standing by, mute & letting this happen the #ConservativeParty is making the Corbynistas look like a bunch of pussy cats https://t.co/nJpFFdRUkAThis is utterly disgraceful and I cannot believe that the likes of @AmberRuddHR @NickyMorgan01 @RobertBuckland @MattHancock are standing by, mute & letting this happen the #ConservativeParty is making the Corbynistas look like a bunch of pussy cats https://t.co/nJpFFdRUkA
This from David Gauke, one of the Tory MP’s who rebelled against the government and had their whip withdrawn yesterday.
Just received a text to say that my Association Chairman has been told that I am no longer a member of the Conservative Party. First I’d heard of that.Not even a member of the Conservative Party?I finally have something in common with Dominic Cummings.
This from ITV’s Paul Brand:
NEW: PM tells @Peston says the opposition will find themselves in an "unsustainable position" and will eventually have to vote for an election. "To be so subsumed by cowardice is not politically sustainable."
Allister Heath, the editor of the Sunday Telegraph, also believes Boris Johnson will eventually get his way.
He writes (paywalled):
The Tory party is dead; long live the Tory party. The seismic realignment that was supposed to take place in 2016 is finally upon us, and a tougher, rougher, non-deferential conservatism is making its explosive debut.
[...]
Right now, Johnson and Cummings are still on a path to success, even if they have had to recalibrate their journey several times as obstacles have emerged. The situation is tense, the PM is feeling the pressure and much of the Cabinet is in a state of shock. But Boris hasn’t been “humiliated”. He hasn’t been “wrong-footed”.
The semi-prorogation didn’t “backfire”: it flushed out his hardcore opponents and allowed him to expel them. He knew he would have to do something drastic at some stage and there was no way that those committed to derailing his plans would ever have been allowed to stand under Tory colours at the election. His party was already split de facto, if not de jure; he was always leading a minority government in all but name. The sackings merely formalised this.
[...]
Last but not least, engineering a delay in Brexit would simply encourage the Government to go for broke. If they were to back a no-deal Brexit, Nigel Farage would step aside and the Leave vote would unite. I am sure those in No 10 genuinely and rightly want a deal. But they may not have a choice if furious voters begin to turn to the Brexit Party again. Do the Remainers really want to goad Downing Street in this way?
Johnson’s gamble was breathtaking in its ambition: he would take over a fatally divided Tory party with no majority, forcibly reform it in his image and gain a pro-Brexit majority. For all of the madness of the past few days, I’m still predicting that he will pull it off.
There is still some confusion about what happened earlier in the Commons when the Kinnock amendment was passed automatically because the government didn’t provide any tellers, and about the potential consequences.
This from BuzzFeed’s Alex Wickham:
Labour say their legal advice is that Kinnock amendment is not legally significant so no drama
And this from the editor of Politics.co.uk, Ian Dunt:
Had to step away, and everything just went completely weird with the Kinnock amendment and now I'm lost in an avalanche of what the fuck is actually going on.
There seems to be a rift in the Labour party regarding when it will vote for a general election.
This from Kevin Schofield from PoliticsHome.com:
Labour press release says Labour will back an election once rebel bill gets Royal Assent.That directly contradicts what Keir Starmer told Labour MPs this morning and the Commons this afternoon.Labour MP: "That is not party policy." pic.twitter.com/ciTZF41H9t
Peers in the House of Lords meanwhile are still voting on amendments to the Labour business motion that is designed to ensure the no-deal Benn bill will get through the House by 5pm on Friday, just in time before parliament is to be suspended.
They have to vote on over 100 amendments. Earlier there were rumours that the peers were adjourning, but they’ve carried on. As my colleague Andrew Sparrow explained earlier today, Tory peers have the opportunity to filibuster the process, as this kind of debate can in theory go on for as long as it wants to.
This from Conservative peer Ralph Lucas earlier:
It appears to me that the effectiveness of the filibuster has been accepted, and the focus therefore moves to whether a deal can be done in the Commons to bring the filibuster to an end. Lord Forsyth says the price for that is Boris being allowed to call an election.
I’ll be rounding up a few reactions to tonight’s events now.
This here from the FT’s editor Lionel Barber:
Am hearing many Tory MPs, including majority of Boris Johnson’s Cabinet, believe expelling two former Chancellors, moderates and long serving Tories like @NSoames was huge error. “We’ve got to bring them back if we want to win the coming election” said one. Watch this space
The Commons has now moved on to a debate on Treasury funding for the Department of Health and Social Care.
The prime minister along with the shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, SNP Westminster leader, Ian Blackford, Jess Phillips and Dominic Grieve will be on Peston in a bit. Should be fun.
Boris Johnson responded by saying that 48 hours ago, Corbyn wanted to “stop the coup” and let the people vote. “Now he is saying ‘stop the election and stop the people from voting’.
“I think he has become the first leader of the opposition in the democratic history of our country to refuse the invitation to an election. I can only speculate as to the reasons behind his hesitation. The obvious conclusion I’m afraid is he does not think he will win,” Johnson said.
As expected, Boris Johnson has suffered another big loss, with the Commons rejecting his motion calling for a general election.
The PM would have needed 434 votes to reach a two-thirds majority.
Ayes: 298
Noes: 56